Cash could breathe new life into old stones

April 8th 2025

One-off grants are being offered to help save and improve important old buildings and structures in Shetland, particularly in the North Isles.

The funding comes from the proceeds of the sale of the A-listed Belmont House in Unst. These were gifted to Shetland Charitable Trust by The Belmont Trust which saved and faithfully restored the derelict Georgian mansion, built in 1775, to its original form.

The Belmont Trust passed the proceeds on with the intention that they be used to support some similar sort of architectural restoration work on important examples of Shetland’s built heritage.

Given the high cost of building restoration, the Belmont Built Heritage Grant Scheme may only run once while its funds of around £200,000 last. It offers up to 90 per cent of the capital cost of improving assets.

The scheme is open to charities, trusts and not-for-profit community and voluntary groups but not community councils or private companies and organisations.

Any buildings or structures supported by the grant scheme will need to be accessible, relevant, sustainable and valued.

The emphasis will be on assisting examples of built heritage which are in poor condition or at risk of loss or decline.

The aim is to increase people’s connection with their local heritage and possibly to support innovative ways of managing built heritage and keeping it going.

The scheme is open to bids until 27^thJune with any awards paid out after October.

Full details and application forms are available from the Apply for Funding section of the SCT website, by email from mail@shetlandcharitabletrust.co.uk or telephone 01595 744 994.

Testimonials

The funding COPE Ltd receives from the Shetland Charitable Trust supports us in many ways. It allows us to develop and maintain a strong foundation to our core business and assists us to provide on-going employment skill development opportunities to people with disabilities living within Shetland. COPE Ltd highly values the support provided to our organisation by The Shetland Charitable Trust.

“The substantial grant made to us by Shetland Charitable Trust every year allows us to provide first-class facilities and dedicated staff to underpin sporting success among people of all ages and abilities in the islands.”

Having this core funding from the Charitable Trust means that we can use that money where we need it at any given time. It's multi-year funding which really takes the pressure off. To have the funding to keep going is really important as it is improving the lives of disabled folk in Shetland.

The funding that we get from the Charitable Trust pays for part of staff support and matching with other funders. Without local funders we wouldn't have national funders, and without either of those funders, we wouldn't be able to do this, so funding from the Shetland Charitable Trust is incredibly important.

The funding Shetland Arts gets from Shetland Charitable Trust is about making sure the organisation can thrive, access other funds, and deliver on behalf of the community of Shetland. Our funding from the Shetland Charitable Trust really helps us with our conversations with national funders because it shows that we're working on behalf of what the local objectives and priorities are.

The Access to Leisure scheme was introduced to allow folk to be able to get access to classes and activities for a lower cost. I feel that the SRT play a critical role in every community across Shetland and that's all down to the funding of the Shetland Charitable Trust that we're able to maintain that.

Unpaid carers do an amazing job looking after people 24/7 in their own homes, keeping them living at home safely, and they really need help to do that. Thanks to the funding from Shetland Charitable Trust, we've been able to employ a deputy manager, recruit more care attendants, and provide overnights. We're also really grateful for the funding because it means that everybody can get the service for free.