01 Identity
Scottish charity record
- OSCR charity number
- SC050009
- Status
- Active
- Regulatory type
- Standard
- Designated religious body
- No
- Geographical spread
- A specific local point, community or neighbourhood
- Volunteers
- 1-50 volunteers
- Staff
- 2
- Postcode
- ZE2 9DS
02 Purpose and work
What the charity exists to do
Our aim is to showcase the marvels and enormity of the Shetland skies, day and night, summer and winter. We do this through storytelling, music, poetry, history and much more. We have 7 trustees and 2 part-time, freelance workers - a Project Development Officer and a Digital Marketing manager. Our aim is to benefit the community of the island of Unst and its visitors by enhancing enjoyment of Unst’s beautiful and varied skies which feature the northern lights, simmer dim, storms, dark skies and many other wonders. We offer 2 on-the-ground trails in Unst (Sky Trail and Planetary Trail) and through organising a variety of sky-related events and activities. WSS has been running events and activities during UnstFest since 2019 e.g. an inflatable planetarium, the 2021 partial solar eclipse, photography exhibitions, meteorite hunts and cinema screenings. We rely on donations and grant funding to enable our work. We plan to introduce a Friends membership scheme in early 2026.
Charitable purposes
- the advancement of the arts, heritage, culture or science
Beneficiaries
- No specific group, or for the benefit of the community
Activities
- It carries out activities or services itself
Constitutional objectives
The purpose of Wild Skies Shetland is to benefit the community of the island of Unst 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. This includes the aim of developing a wild skies visitors centre in Unst. The benefits to the people of Unst are through increased visitor numbers and local availability of educational and recreational activities related to the sky.
03 Annual returns
Income and expenditure history
| Year end | Income | Expenditure | Staff | Return received |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 March 2025 | £7,768 | £6,270 | 2 | 26 November 2025 |
| 31 March 2024 | £25,515 | £30,398 | 2 | 11 December 2024 |
| 31 March 2023 | £25,515 | £30,398 | 2 | 7 June 2023 |
| 31 March 2022 | £54,316 | £41,644 | 2 | 17 December 2022 |
| 31 March 2021 | £1,248 | £1,144 | 2 | 17 December 2021 |
Figures are those reported by the charity and supplied in the OSCR bulk download. Blank facts remain distinct from zero.
04 Contact record
Principal office or trustees address
- Address supplied to OSCR
- Little Hamar, Baltasound, Unst, Shetland
- Website supplied to OSCR
- wildskiesshetland.com
- Parent charity
- Not supplied
No direct external links on this profile. The official OSCR record and source documentation are available through BritDB’s dedicated source page.
05 Provenance
Source for this profile
© Crown Copyright and database right 2026. Contains information from the Scottish Charity Register supplied by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. BritDB is an independent service and does not claim to be the Scottish Charity Register.