The Volunteers' Hub is a repository of all the 'must-knows' as a volunteer for Nairn Book and Arts Festival. Please take some time to digest the information carefully, as it help you get the most out of your time with us. If you are not a volunteer, but you are looking to apply, please navigate to our Get Involved page for further information. 

Dates for your diary:

• 2 March: Annual General Meeting (AGM)
• 18 June: Programme Launch Day 2026
• 24 June: Volunteer Engagement Day
• Date TBC (August): Briefing and delegation of festival week roles
• Saturday 29 August to Sunday 6 September: Festival week!

Volunteers Engagement Day
The volunteers' engagement day is an annual opportunity to hear about the upcoming festival from the Artistic Director, sign-up to events, and meet your fellow festival volunteers. If you are still unsure about committing as a festival volunteer, the engagement day is also an opportunity to answer any questions you may have and speak to us about how we can accommodate you best. We look forward to seeing you in July!

Email updates
As a volunteer, you will receive email updates from our volunteers' mailing list. If you believe you are not receiving these emails, please:

1. 1. Add 'info@nairnfestival.co.uk' to your email address contacts.
2. 2. Contact 'info@nairnfestival.co.uk' to double-check if you are on the mailing list. We will verify that your email address is correct on our list.
    

Governance and Meetings
Many of our volunteers are made up of the dozen or so individuals who sit on our Board and Committee. If you are interested in trying either of these roles, please get in touch with Tanera Bryden at info@nairnfestival.co.uk

• Festival Committee (a year-round role - volunteers may have prior knowledge of the arts, event organising, fundraising,  arts administration or third sector management, or just be arts- interested). Suitable for those aged 18+years.
• Joining the Festival Board (a year-round role for those who wish to commit 3 or more years to the governance and running of the festival and in the shaping of the festival’s future). Board skills include (but are not restricted to) financial, governance, fundraising, legal, and marketing. 

All volunteers are entitled to request a copy of the meeting minutes from Board meetings, Committee meetings, or the AGM. Get in touch to request a copy.

Briefings, Safety, Risk, and Policies

A large part of being a volunteer is maintaining the safety of yourself and others. Please take the time to review our policies, with particular attention to the volunteers' policies, at the link below.

Reporting personal circumstances of health arrangements
Volunteers will be placed in a role best suited to their skills and accessibility requirements. If you have a health condition or personal circumstance that should be considered when placing you in a festival week role (for example: a heart condition, severe allergies, conditions that prevent lone-working, or musculoskeletal conditions which affect standing, walking, or lifting), please report it during the application process or by contacting Tanera Bryden. Your information will be kept strictly confidential.

Absence Policy
We will aim to remind festival volunteers of their roles and work dates 10 days before the festival begins. In the event a Festival Volunteer is unable to attend one or more of their planned work dates, we ask that they give at least 1 week’s notice to info@nairnfestival.co.uk of their absence.

• This policy excludes absence caused by sickness, bereavement, or unforeseen personal circumstances. If you need to cancel your volunteering engagement at short notice, please contact Tanera or Emma as soon as possible at info@nairnfestival.co.uk

Expense Claims
The festival endeavours to cover some of the costs of volunteering. We can reimburse public transport to and from Nairn. To claim these costs, please keep a copy of the receipts and fill out the form linked here. Return the form to info@nairnfestival.co.uk, where it will be forwarded to the Treasurer.

GET IN TOUCH:
 

Tanera Bryden, Artistic Director: info@nairnfestival.co.uk

Emma Heritage, Festival Assistant: nairnfestivalassistant@gmail.com

To contact a member of the committee or board, please email Emma Heritage, who will connect you with the correct person.