£225,000 Shared Between Community Projects

March 17th 2026

Over £225,000 has been awarded from the Viking Community Fund through the Community Grant Scheme in the 2025/26 funding year which began on the 1^st of September 2025.

Community councils have supported 22 projects including £33,840 to the Vidlin Marina Association to repair and resurface the road leading to the marina and slipway, £1,000 to the Bressay Up Helly Aa Committee to purchase new tools and £3,480 to the Whitedale Social Club to replace windows and a fire door.

A further 11 projects which sustain and develop the local community were directly approved by Shetland Community Benefit Fund through the CGS Tier 3 fund. The largest grant, £43,380 across 3 years from April 2026 to April 2029 was awarded to Shetland Community Connections for their ‘Sharing Stories’ project.

“Shetland Community Connections is delighted to receive three years of funding from the Community Grant Scheme. This funding will enable our highly successful trial project ‘Sharing Stories’ to become a fixed part of the support we offer. Loneliness and social disconnection are recognised as having a major negative impact on people of all ages across Shetland. With this funding we can now reach more people and with matched support relationships based on interests and experiences we can support to help make connections to improve lives.”
Jane Haswell, Manager Shetland Community Connections

Other projects receiving support include £5,337 to the Shetland Shellfish Management Organisation to produce new wheelhouse cards for Shetland shellfish fishermen, £15,000 towards the Viking Genes Shetland Screening project and £7,377 to Mind Your Head to continue their Wellbeing 1000 club in the North Mainland. Also awarded funding was Shetland Gymnastics club for a Spring Floor in their new facility in Cunningsburgh.

"the gymnasts in Shetland will greatly benefit from being able to train on a competition floor at home now and not have to travel to the mainland anymore to use such apparatus. All gymnasts in Shetland will be using it which will help improve all their floor skills. It’s an amazing piece of equipment for the club to be able to purchase."
Julie Grant, Shetland Gymnastics Club

Full details of the various funds available from the Viking Community Fund can be found on the SCBF website.