Nairn Show has been cancelled for the second year in a row due to Covid-19 restrictions, however plans are underway to host the 2022 event at a new showground.
The Nairnshire Farming Society, which organises the show, said its governing committee had reluctantly decided to postpone the event – which usually takes place on the last Saturday in July – once more due to the ongoing pandemic.
It also announced the acquistion of a new eight-site to create a new showfield at a large field at Househill Farm.
The society said the field, which lies between the A939 and the River Nairn, will bring future shows within easy walking distance for a large part of Nairn and recreate the traditional link between the town and the farming community.
“Nairnshire Farming Society are delighted to announce this permanent facility which is close to the town,” said society vice-president, Henry Sleigh.
“We hope that this new location will be beneficial to all, and look forward to welcoming you as soon as possible.”
He said the purchase of the ground from Househill, which is run by Margaret and Gordon Nicolson, had been made possible with a £136,000 grant from the Davidson (Nairn) Charitable Trust, which provides support for purposes of benefit to the Nairn community.
The trust’s chairman, Iain Bain, said: “Over the years the Davidson Trust has assisted Nairnshire Farming Society with grants for equipment.
“Trustees are delighted that we can once more support the farmers in a transformational project for both the society and Nairn town, reconnecting the farming community with the town in aw ay that our benefactor, the late Christina Davidson, would have encouraged.”
Margaret Nicolson from Househill, who is a former secretary of the society, said: “We’re delighted that Househill Farm will be a part of the future of the Nairn Farmer’s Show and look forward to working with the Nairnshire Farming Society to ensure the show’s continued success.”
Mr Sleigh said the society will lease additional land from the Nicolsons for car-parking each year.
He said the purchase of a new showfield provides a permanent location for the show, which has been staged at the Philpi family’s Kinnudie Farm since 2008.
The society still owns the original showfield in Nairn beside the A96, but a decision was made to try sell this in the 1990s due to space constraints and the potential to develop a supermarket on the site.
