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Summary
The primary purposes of the charity as laid out in its constitution are related to the advancement of education, the arts, heritage, culture and science, and its stated charitable objects are:
‘The organisation’s purposes are to collect, preserve and share the history, culture and natural history of St Kilda and other Hebridean islands.’
The charity’s trustees plan to fulfil these purposes by:
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The development of a visitor centre on North Uist.
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When it is completed and opened to the public, activities will include the collection, archiving, interpretation and display of materials on St Kildan and Hebridean heritage.
Since the charity’s establishment in 2017, trustees have initiated and overseen the design and completion of all pre-contact documentation and statutory consents for a 300m[2] St Kilda visitor centre located on the north-west coast of North Uist. Work since 2022 has been focussed on raising capital funding to implement the works and open the centre to visitors, but this has proved challenging to achieve in the current community-based project development environment.
Trustees
During 2024-25 the trustees at 31[st] July 2025 were:
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Alasdair MacEachen (Chair) (founder member and trustee – re-elected 18/03/2025)
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David Newman (Treasurer and secretary) (founder member and trustee – re-elected 18/03/2025)
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Kathryn Johnson (re-elected 18/03/2025)
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Rhod Evans (re-elected 18/03/2025)
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Shona MacLellan (re-elected 18/03/2025)
Membership
Membership of the SCIO at 31[st] July 2025 stood at 63.
SCIO no SC047571 Registered Office Address: Suil na Mara, Hilton, TAIN, IV20 1XR
Fulfilment of Statutory Duties
Publicity: Sealladh Hiort has communicated with both its members and the wider community to provide information regarding the St Kilda Viewpoint project status. These include articles in the local community newspaper and on local radio and the use of e-mail.
Public information: All requests for information from the general public are responded to without delay. The annual accounts for the financial year ending 31/07/25 were provided to all members four weeks before the AGM in March 2026.
Providing information to OSCR: The charity’s annual report will be filed with OSCR by the statutory deadline of 30[th] April 2026.
Consent for changes: There have been no changes to the charity during this reporting period.
Registers of trustees and members: The charity’s secretary keeps a register of both current and former trustees and current and former members.
Report on the charity’s activities for the year 2024-25
Thanks to the financial support of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and HIE, Sealladh Hiort was able to commission its design team, led by Fraser Architecture of Benbecula, to renew the detailed planning consent for its Viewpoint visitor centre project. Due to changes in national planning regulations an Environmental Impact Assessment was also required as part of the submissions to the local planning authority and this work was undertaken by Highland Ecology. Consent was granted on 14[th] February 2025 and will last for five years.
As the building warrant for the project was also due to expire, Fraser Architecture also undertook to renew this, and it was received in June 2025.
Sealladh Hiort directors met with the Whitehall Community Renewal Fund team during their visit to Uist in May 2025, but the very short two year time limit for project completion could not be met by the Viewpoint development.
As a result of this meeting, and the earlier loss of its Islands Growth Deal allocation of £1.65m, the charity ended the year with no apparent prospect of raising the £5.5m funding required to cover the forecast capital costs for its proposed Viewpoint visitor centre.
The Trustees agreed to review the situation later in 2025 and make a decision before the next AGM in March 2026 as to whether there was any prospect of the charity’s main objective of building and operating a visitor centre about St Kilda being fulfilled in the foreseeable future.
Postscript to 2024-25 Annual Report
After consulting its sponsors and advisors in December 2025, the Sealladh Hiort Trustees met in February 2026 to discuss the prospects for the Viewpoint visitor centre development. After much discussion, the disappointing conclusion was reached that the funding and operating environment for community led projects like the Viewpoint had become so challenging, that there was no longer any viable way forward for the visitor centre’s development and in turn, the charity fulfilling its charitable objectives.
SCIO no SC047571 Registered Office Address: Suil na Mara, Hilton, TAIN, IV20 1XR
Trustees agreed that in view of this fact, a resolution should be put to the forthcoming Annual General Meeting of the charity to be held in March 2026 that the charity should be dissolved. A members’ briefing paper explaining the background to this proposal was prepared and sent to all members one month in advance of that AGM, along with a resolution to dissolve the charity included on the AGM agenda. Also included was a proxy voting form for any members wishing to vote but unable to attend the meeting.
After discussion at the AGM, the resolution was passed unanimously, and the meeting agreed that the charity’s secretary should contact OSCR to establish and undertake the dissolution process.
Funding and Banking Summary 2024-25
The annual accounts for August 2024 to July 2025 were issued in January 2026 and prepared by our auditor Angus MacIntyre. These show that Sealladh Hiort’s activity was minimal during the year, and, as reported above cash flow was almost wholly related to securing the renewal of planning consent and building warrant for the Viewpoint development. These are appended to this annual report.
Income comprised subscriptions of £25 and £9479 of grant funding from Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and HIE. Expenditure included £9479 on the planning renewal fees and £150 for the building warrant renewal which was drawn from the charity’s cash reserves. After an audit fee of £40 The charity ended the year with a balance of around £329.
Acknowledgments and thanks
Trustees would like to thank the project design team headed by Fraser Architecture and the development officers at Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar and Highlands and Islands Enterprise for their continued support throughout the year.
Signed……………………………………………………………………………………………………. Pana Newan
David Newman
Secretary, Sealladh Hiort March 2026
SCIO no SC047571 Registered Office Address: Suil na Mara, Hilton, TAIN, IV20 1XR
Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator
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qualification(s) or body
SCIO no SC047571 Registered Office Address: Suil na Mara, Hilton, TAIN, IV20 1XR
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SCIO no SC047571 Registered Office Address: Suil na Mara, Hilton, TAIN, IV20 1XR
EXPENDITURE
SCIO no SC047571 Registered Office Address: Suil na Mara, Hilton, TAIN, IV20 1XR
SCIO no SC047571 Registered Office Address: Suil na Mara, Hilton, TAIN, IV20 1XR