Our activities in 2024/2025
Once again Wild Skies Shetland has had a very busy year.
Award winners
The first few months of the year were boosted by us being announced as winners of the SURF Creative Regeneration Award at a fabulous awards dinner in Glasgow in December 2023. This incredible recognition reflects the importance of community in the Wild Skies Shetland project.
Wild Skies Shetland
Annual Report,
April 2024 - March 2025
Since March 2020 Wild Skies Shetland (WSS) has been a registered charity – technically a SCIO, a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation.
Our charity number is SC050009.
Our objectives
The purpose of Wild Skies Shetland is to benefit the Unst community by promoting the local natural environment, with a focus on the skies. This has aspects of advancement of the arts, heritage, culture and science by providing opportunities for people to experience and understand the constantly changing skies. The benefits to the people of Unst are through increased visitor numbers and local availability of educational and recreational activities related to the sky.
The judging panel was particularly impressed with our focus on local language, culture, and heritage, as well as the positive impact of our activities on the island’s economy, wellbeing, education, and community engagement. This award is a testament to the dedication of our community, whose participation played a key role in our success.
Being the winner of this prestigious award has elevated Wild Skies Shetland’s profile, opening doors to funding, support, and increased visibility among visitors and tour operators.
Influential visitors We have welcomed a lot of visitors, tour guides, journalists and social media influencers throughout the year. Another early visitor was a commissionin editor from the Rough Guide who visited in April and not only saw Unst at its most beautiful in the spring but spent an unforgettable acoustic evening at the Shetland Folk Festival concert in the Baltasound Hall during a power cut, an experience that will live on in Shetland Folk Festival folklore for The first visitor we hosted was our MSP ho was delighted to meet some of the trustees and go on a tour of some of the sky stops on our newly-opened Sky Trail. many years to come! We were the subject of a parliamentary motion when we were short-listed for the SURF award. Recognition of getting that far and winning was a fantastic achievement! You can read the Parliamentary Motion HERE. Here's Wild Skies Truste showin ur virtual realty headsets, which are available to use throughout the winter at the Unst Leisure Centre and during the spring and summer at the Unst Heritage Centre. The power cut in Boltosound Holl did not dompen unyone's spirits and the musicians carried on without electncity making ITt truly (J night to remember. In June 2024, Instagram influencer as guided around Unst by two of our Trustees. Despite poor weather she enjoyed her visit and saw the film An Asteroid called Unst,. AN ASTEROID ¢A.LLED UNST
isited Unst once again in the summertime, along with nature expe they led a group of wildlife- watching guests. Whilst some of the group went to Hermaness NNR others stayed behind and were fed and entertained by Wild Skies trustees with tales of Norse mythology, local dialect and astronomical phenomena. We hope that some o guests will come back again and visrt us next year. Various picnics were hosted on the Wiking Longship including one with Rough Guide freelance Journalist In January 2025 we were delighted to meet up with the television broadcaster and journalist nd her Up Helly Aa tour group who had come to Shetland to experience the Lerwick Up Helly Aa. They had a fantastic day in Unst and met WSS Trustee who told them all about Wild Skies Shetland and what we do. -and reluxiTng on the Skidbl(Jdner VITking longship replica.
Other highlights
For the first time Wild Skies Shetland played a small part in the successful Shetland Wool Week ! Local expert fine lace knitter and tutor osted a class during Wool Week where her students knitted a piece of fine lace inspired by a shooting star i.e. a meteor.
as invited to talk to the students about the sky and meteorites. We really hope this is something we can do again next year.
We re-installed the Planetary Trail on Saxa Vord over the summer months. As part of UnstFest led a Planetary Trail Walk which was great fun and was well-attended by solar system enthusiasts young and old!
Other events and activities
Wild Skies Shetland’s photographic exhibition ‘ Wonders of the Shetland Skies’ was once again hosted by the Unst Heritage Centre during the busy summer visitor season, as were the virtual reality headsets. The headsets mean that visitors can see the aurora in all its glory whilst sitting in the Centre if their visit doesn’t coincide with the ‘real thing’.
Pinterest workshop
Wild Skies Shetland’s social media officer Melanie Mouat ran a free learning session ‘Boost your business with Pinterest’ to help local businesses in Unst learn how to use Pinterest to attract more customers and grow their tourism or service business
As part of this, WSS set up a legally compliant database of supporters to help manage the ‘Friends of Wild Skies Shetland’ scheme that we are planning to launch next year.
Solar eclipse 29[th] March
Wild Skies Shetland put together a special Solar Eclipse Viewing Pack for people to watch the magical solar eclipse The packs were made available in local shops and outlets in Unst and other parts of Shetland with guidance on how to enjoy this sky event safely.
CLLD Funding (formerly known as LEADER) allowed us to continue promoting Wild Skies Shetland through social media, newsletters, and blogs. We also received a grant from the SIC Coastal Communities Fund and Economic Development Unit to recruit a part-time Project Development Officer for the next 3 years. Interviews were conducted in conjunction with Visit Scotland in February 2025 and resulted in the appointment of Sharyn Emslie, who has many ears of experience in heritage interpretation. led the team from CMC Associates that produced the Sky Trail so she is very familiar with Wild Skies and its work. She accepted her appointment and started her contract in April 2025. Communications In December 2024 we began issuing rnonthly Newsletters to everyone on our mailing list. This is a fabulous new way for us to stay in touch with our supporters and keep them abreast of happenings, both in the sky and events that we organise on the ground in Unst. We continue to grow interest in our activities and are adding new names to the database each week. rings o weolth of experience ond o huge love of Shetland und Unst to the role of WSS Projert Development Officer. ill be focusing on developing new opportunities, building partnerships and helping us share the magic of Shetland's skies with even more people. This is an exciting step forward to ensuring the long-term sustainabiltty of Wild Skies Shetland. Funding Success We were delighted to end the year securing two major funding sources to support our future sustainability.
Our Board
Wild Skies Shetland is run by volunteers and 2 part-time workers.
Wild Skies Shetland has an active Board of 7 Trustees, who meet regularly.
Our trustees are:
Our Workers are:
Wild Skies Shetland, Little Hamar, Baltasound, Unst ZE2 9D2
APPENDIX 2 Wild Skies Shetland SC050009 n&cR Receipts and payments accounts For the pgrlod from Scottish Chaiity Reiulaloi .Ji e4 L l.03. CJ Section A Statement of receipts and payments Unrnstriet•d fund? Expendable ndowmènt funds Pornianent èndowmgnt fund* Rg5tri¢tsd funds Total funds Currgnt period Total funds lagt poriod lo to nMro•te to nArBst£ lo n•ar•st£ to A1 Recèi DonatM)ns 3.020 3,020 413 Log&tses Grants 3,000 1,748 Receipts from funLlraisin9 activities Gross lTrding re(xipts Income from investments other than land and buildinos Rènts IroTn laTYJ & bull dlngs Gross receipts from other tharitab activth"e5 1.748 3.239 A1 Sub total 7.768 7.768 3.652 A2 Recelpts from a8Net & Investment sales Pr(j$ Irom $8Eè offixed assets PrcKeeds frorn Sa of investrnents A2 Sub totsl Tot81 r8¢elpts 7.768 7.768 3,652 A3 Payments Expenses for fundraising actNitse5 Gross trading paymeTrts Investment rnanagement costs P8ym8nts lating directly to chantable activities Grants and donations 133 133 6.137 ,137 14,119 Goveman£E costs.. Audit l independent ex8min8ts.on PreparatK)ll Ot 8nnuhl accounts Legal costs Other A3 Sub total 6.270 6.270 14.119 A4 Payments rnlatlng to auet and nv•stmètrt mov•mènts Purth8ses of fred assets Purchase of Trnvestmenls A4 Sub total 6.270 6.270 14.119 1.498 110.4671_ AS Transfer8 to l {from) funds Suu$l{defi¢l¢j roryear
APPENDIX 3 OSCR 5cottsh fvnty Regulator Independent examiner's report on the accounts Report to the Charity namè trustOa8lm•mbors of WILD SKIES SHETLAND Reglstered charlty SCO50009 number On the accounts of the charity for the period Period start date Month Period end date Month Day Year Day Y•ar 01 04 2024 to 31 03 2025 Set out on pages (femernber io iidude p89e numbars ofadd1ti0fi81 she818} Respectlve The charity's trustees are fesponsible for the preparatson of the accounts in accordance responsibilrtles of wrth the terThs of the Charities and Trustee Investm2nl (Scotlandl 2005 Act and the trustees and examSner Charities Accounts (Scotlandl Regulations 2006 (as amended). The charty trustees consider that the audit requirement of Regulats'on 10{1) {d) of the Accounts Regulations does not apply. It is my responsibility to examine the accounts as required under section 44(1) (c) of the Act and to state whether particular matters have corne to my attention. Bas18 of Ind•p•ndont My examination is carried out in accordance with Regulation 11 cf the 2006 Accounts •ximinerf$ Statement Regulations. An examinats'on includes a review of the accounting records kept by the chanty and a ¢ompariGon of the accounts presènted with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeks explanations from the trustees conceming any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all Ihe eviden that woukl be required in an audit and. consequently, I do not exwess an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts. Independent examine6 In the course of my examination. no matter has come to my attention [•lkofvÈ stat•m•nt which givès rne reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements" to keep accounting records in accordance Nwth stion 4411) (a} of the 2005 Act and Regulation 4 of the 26 Accounts Regulakn'ons, and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting iecords and comply with Regulation 9 of the 2CI)6 Accounts Regulations have not been met, ar 2. to which, in ry opinion, attention should be drawn In order to enable a proper to be reached. Date: Signed Name: Rélevant professional qualifl¢atlon(8) or body (rf any): *• 20rtt November 2025 Address: ase delete the words kn the brarxets rf Ihey do noi amly. If the words do appty, 8Ot out those rnattèrs whth havè coff to your attention on the following page. - OSCR will actept dlgrtal ortype(I swanatwes
APPENDIX 3 Disclosure section Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material problems. Gwe here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose