Green Hive at a Glance

Community-Powered Environmental Action

Green Hive delivers initiatives that help to protect, restore and sustainably develop the public spaces and natural habitats of Nairn and Nairnshire - facilitating community action, building social connections, cultivating skills and employability, and improving health and wellbeing outcomes for residents and visitors. Since launching in 2015 Green Hive has recruited and deployed more than 1,300 volunteers, enabling people to make positive and meaningful contributions towards a range of community-orientated environmental-improvement activities

Green Hive aims to support community-powered environmental action by developing and promoting the social enterprise programmes and other activities it hosts at its Community Hub (Seaman’s Hall in Fishertown) and its Community Workshop (Balmakeith Industrial Estate)

CHARITABLE PURPOSES (Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator)

The advancement of citizenship or community development
The advancement of environmental protection or improvement.
The relief of those in need by reason of age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage

KEY AIMS

Community services and projects: to run sustainable activities relating to the environment of Nairn and Nairnshire, which benefit the local community and are open to all, while encouraging collaboration and partnership with other groups and organisations in the community
Contributing to wellbeing: to provide people with opportunities to reduce isolation, make friends, discover new things, learn about the environment, acquire new skills and feel pride in what they achieve
Civic pride: to empower people to feel proud of the work they contribute, and ensure the community can feel proud of what Green Hive achieves
Regenerating Nairn and Nairnshire: to participate in social and economic regeneration, and contribute to local and national government objectives for reductions in poverty, deprivation and social isolation
Enhancement of the local environment: to support activities that help to protect and improve the environment and reduce waste
Employment and skills development: to create skills development, training and paid employment opportunities for local people - especially the long-term unemployed

OUTPUTS: HOW WE INTEND TO ACHIEVE OUR KEY AIMS

By delivering social enterprise programmes at our Community Workshop that encourage and support the re-use and repurposing of waste plastics, and by capitalising on the expertise and distinctive manufacturing processes the Community Workshop has developed
By delivering social enterprise programmes at our Zero Waste Fabrics Store that encourage and support the re-use and repurposing of donated fabrics and textiles, and by finding new and creative ways to monetise the capabilities this unique community resource has been developing
By developing and capitalising on a well-integrated Active Travel offer for local people and tourists through the delivery of e-bike hire and Trike Nairn services at our Community Hub, including the development of a new social enterprise that encourages and supports the repair, re-use and re-sale of donations of unwanted bicycles, parts and equipment
By using these programmes to create volunteering, skills development and paid employment opportunities for people in Nairn and Nairnshire - helping participants to reduce social isolation while making new friends, learning new things, contributing to environmental improvements and feeling pride in what they achieve for their community
By organising, delivering and participating in annual programmes of public events (including local, regional and national Awareness Days and campaigns) that engage local communities and help to promote the important work Green Hive does, while encouraging people to volunteer, subscribe to Join the Hive and become members
By developing our premises at the Community Hub and the Community Workshop in ways that make them more accessible, more supportive and more engaging for residents and visitors in Nairn and Nairnshire

A word from Simon Noble, Green Hive founder and Chair of our Board of Directors

“Green Hive is a well respected small charity based in Nairn. We started our work in December 2015 and the first year relied entirely on the resources of volunteers. Our founding members were all committed locals and every single one of our projects since have come from ideas promulgated by local residents. We’ve gradually built up both our volunteer reach in the community and now our staff team. The long-term vision was always to build capacity in the town by supporting local people to turn their ideas into reality. Local people strengthen and inspire us to do more. Proud of our environmental work, we are now at a new watershed moment, ready to take a significant step toward long-term sustainability, confident that we can achieve this with the support of the community. In essence, we have a simple plan focused on maximising our impact and playing an important part in supporting Happier People and Happier Places in Nairnshire”

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