5 hours ago
Nairn County FC has today received two significant contributions towards the costs of the new enclosure at Station Park. The state-of-the-art structure opened in March and now the Nairn County Supporters Ground Improvements Fund and Narden have both made payments towards footing the bill. In the case of Narden, this is in addition to the financial input they have already made. Club secretary Donald Matheson – who will take over as interim chairman on June 1st – said: "This is massively positive news and a huge step forward for the club as it now puts us in a position to pay off the invoice to main contractor, Lovie Construction, which we received at the beginning of this week. That is fantastic given the situation the club now finds itself in." "The fans have been absolutely magnificent in their support of this project and their contribution is monumental." "It is no exaggeration to say that as well as engaging the entire Nairn community in their fundraising, it was a real worldwide effort by the fans to raise such an amazing amount of money." "Some of the fundraising ideas were extremely innovative with coffee mornings, whisky tasting sessions, sponsored walks, shirt auctions and even a book detailing the club's history." "On behalf of everyone at the club, I would like to thank every single supporter who contributed to the Ground Improvements Fund and hope that you are all rightly proud of the contribution you made towards the construction of the enclosure that we now see at Station Park." The rest of the bill has been made up by contributions from the Nairn County 50/50 Club, The Sportsman's Dinner and Lunch Fund, Highland Council, Co-op Community Fund and a private benefactor. Narden also settled all bills outside of the Lovie contract – a five-figure sum – and have now made an additional contribution to the project. This payment has been made in return for three-years of trackside advertising at Station Park and during negotiations, Nairn County FC was also granted permission to wear existing Narden branded away strips, warm-up gear, training kit and youth team strips until such a time as a new sponsor is found or wear and tear dictates that they must be replaced. Mr Matheson added: "I would like to thank Narden for making up the shortfall that existed in settling the Lovie's bill. Their contribution to this project both financially and in terms of man hours has been huge and cannot be understated." "Peter and Michael Mackintosh spent many, many hours working on this project and during construction, they were up at the park all day, five days-a-week assisting where they could." Mr Matheson added: "Gaining permission to use our existing strips and gear is also a massive thing. We are in the process of sourcing a new home top but we were faced with having to throw away gear that is only a few years old and in perfect condition before having to shell out thousands of pounds to replace it." "That is now not the case and it is a huge weight off our shoulders but if any company wishes to replace Narden on any of this kit, then please make contact with the club as soon as possible." "In addition to that, I would also like to put on record the club's thanks to Robbie and George Stuart. These guys have been the unsung heroes of the enclosure project. They too put in a magnificent amount of work during the building works and also put in many hours every week keeping the park in pristine condition. They have both spoken to the club this week and I am delighted that they are willing to continue to assist us in the new season." Graeme Macleod
