From Coastal Dreams to Saturday Morning Reality: Bringing Parkrun to Nairn
In autumn 2024, Nairn Road Runners received a £3,800 grant from the Haventus Ardersier Port Community Benefit Fund to establish a parkrun in Nairn, providing local residents with a friendly and inclusive way to exercise along the town's beautiful coastline.
Parkrun is a free, weekly community event where people can walk, jog, run, volunteer or watch, part of a global movement with over 2,000 parkruns across 22 countries, and around 70 in Scotland. The 5km event takes place every Saturday morning and welcomes everyone. There's no time limit, and no one finishes last. The first parkrun was held on the 29th of March 2025, and 194 people took part.
Previously, the nearest parkrun was 18 miles away in Inverness, or 23 miles to Elgin, making regular participation challenging for Nairn residents. A post on the Nairn Rocks Facebook group generated a lot of enthusiasm, with over 280 residents expressing interest and 38 people volunteering to help run events. The question most often asked was ‘when will it start?’
Organisers had raised £1,000 towards the £4,800 registration fee needed to establish the permanent weekly event. Initial projections suggested 100–150 participants, with potential growth to 200 runners. It was at this point that it applied to the Haventus Ardersier Port Community Benefit Fund for £3,800. After careful consideration, the Panel agreed to award the full requested amount.
Nairn parkrun takes place every Saturday morning from 9:30 am at Nairn Links. The dog-friendly 3-lap course is on tarmac and fully accessible to wheelchairs and people pushing buggies. The course showcases beautiful views over the Moray Firth, the Central Links and back towards Nairn beach, offering participants an inspiring coastal setting for their weekly exercise.
Beyond participation, parkrun creates ongoing volunteering opportunities that build lasting community connections. Regular roles, including timekeepers, marshals, barcode scanners, and tail walkers, provide meaningful ways for the local residents to contribute to their community while meeting like-minded people.
The benefits extend far beyond Saturday morning exercise. As part of the parkrun practice initiative launched by the Royal College of General Practitioners and parkrun in 2018, the project partnered with Nairn Healthcare Group, encouraging patients and staff to come along and spend time together safely outdoors to improve both physical and mental health, as well as combating isolation and loneliness.
Additional expected benefits include local economic impact, with businesses, particularly cafés, experiencing increased trade, and the event has tourism potential as 'parkrun tourists' discover Nairn.
This parkrun in Nairn contributes to the three Fund priorities, particularly supporting a vibrant, healthy and successful community by providing opportunities for people to come together, exercise and become more active. For a sample of what this has to offer, watch this short film.
The Haventus Ardersier Port Community Benefit Fund supports community projects benefitting those living in the areas covered by the Community Councils of: Petty and Ardersier, Cawdor and West Nairnshire, Croy and Culloden Moor and Nairn West and Suburban.
Read more about the Haventus Ardersier Port Community Benefit Fund