Key Nairn events cancelled due to coronavirus doubts
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Two Nairn events set up to help drive footfall into the town have been cancelled due to g ongoing uncertainties over coronavirus.
Nairn Business Improvement District (BID) has announced the Wheels of Nairn car show and Taste of Nairn food festival will not take place this year.
Wheels of Nairn, which would have been in its second year, had been due to take place on September 19 while Taste of Nairn had already been rescheduled from a planned April outing to October.
BID chairman Michael Boylan said: "We are extremely disappointed that we are cancelling these events and this decision wasn’t taken lightly.
"However, given the current situation, we don’t see that we have a choice.
"These events take a huge amount of planning along with publicity and at the moment the situation regarding large gatherings and where we are at with the virus is so unstable, the board took the decision to draw a line through Wheels of Nairn and Taste of Nairn.
"There are many things to weigh up when planning big events like this and one of the factors is whether people will want to come.
"At the moment, we just don’t know what the appetite will be for these kinds of events and whether they will even be allowed to go ahead."
He added: "It is a huge blow to the town as they were both very popular events last year, but right now, Nairn BID needs to concentrate on helping businesses get back on their feet.
"There are still exciting things happening for Nairn and we are investigating some different types of events that would maintain social distancing but still be appealing for the town, but again, we are approaching these ideas tentatively and will reveal more if we think they are feasible."
Nairn BID is also responsible for organising the town’s Christmas lights switch-on and Mr Boylan said this is still being reviewed.
"Our hope is that we will be able to have this event in some form, and we are working with Highland Council to get all the necessary permissions in place in the hope that we can," he said.
"However, due to the uncertainty of the situation, this will be under constant review. Ultimately our priority is to follow government guidelines and keep people safe."
Last week, Nairn BID announced the arrival of new manager Lucy Harding who has taken over from Janis Maclean.
She said: “It’s a challenging time to be joining Nairn BID, but I am looking forward to being able to support its businesses get back on their feet.
"Having to cancel events is never easy, but under the circumstances it is the right decision.
"There are many other activities ongoing, such as the seagull reduction programme and the street cleaning, which are still very important for Nairn and will benefit its residents as we start to move on through this tricky time."
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