New project for food waste initiative Nairn Food Nest as volunteers start works on new growing area
A popular initiative to tackle food waste in Nairn is going from strength to strength and is now expanding into a new food-growing project.
The Nairn Food Nest was established in April 2023, and has since grown in popularity, with a team of volunteers of around 20 people
Based in a shed at the Old Parish Church, the community fridge and larder collects food items that are past their ‘best before’ dates from shops and other food suppliers, making them available to anyone who wishes to pick them up.
Over the past year and a half, the team has saved 8359 kilos from going to landfill - over eight tons of food.
Project coordinator, Corinne Ferguson said: “It’s pretty amazing, to think about, and how much we have grown over the past year.
“The project seems to have quite a big impact locally. Many people use the food nest, whether for themselves or to help others.
“One of the volunteers said she met a woman who told her she was grateful for the food nest, and often took fresh food for herself and neighbours who couldn’t get to there, or she would also make a meal from the produce and distribute it to her neighbours. So, the ripple effect goes on!”
Businesses in the area collaborating with the food nest are the Co-op, Sainsbury’s, Sky Delights and Grahams Dairy and the project is also connected with other community groups and charities such as Green Hive, Rosebank School and Nairn allotments.
Now, the project's success has attracted other opportunities: the main funders of the project, Hubbub, have given Nairn Food Nest a grant of £9000 to establish a small growing project, which is currently being set up and will eventually feature orchard trees and other plants and vegetables.
Church treasurer William Wordie said: It was something we have talked about in the Food Nest Group, talking about how to make ourselves more of an interconnected reality.
“You are stopping food waste but it’s to make people understand that the basis of a healthy lifestyle is healthy eating. And that’s not just by bringing recipes and making foods but also educating people that is not that difficult to grow their own.
“We are still at an early stage: these few months of winter will be when we lay everything out and we’ll get things going in spring when we’ll be hoping to plant the fruit trees.”
He said he hopes for this to become an educational resource that will be in the long run self-sustaining.
“Of course, we always need and welcome more volunteers,” he added.
Recently, Nairn Food Nest won £500 as part of a pitch organised by Highland Climate Hub’s Nairn Soup initiative, which will be put towards the purchase of a multi-functional shed.
Some of the existing volunteers shared their experience of the food nest - some were in the initial church-based group which laid the foundations for the projects to start, others started using the food nest themselves and decided to get involved.
“It’s been quite amazing, we didn’t expect this to be this successful when we first started,” said Mr Wordie.
“The amount that goes through it is quite amazing, and people are so grateful.”
The Nairn Food Nest is open to everyone between 8am and 8pm, and more information can be found on their Facebook group.
