• Shetland Amenity Trust
  • Shetland Amenity Trust
  • Shetland Amenity Trust
  • Shetland Amenity Trust

Shetland Amenity Trust

Celebrating and Championing Shetland's Cultural and Natural HeritageEventsOtherRetail and CraftsSelf CateringSport and LeisureTour OperatorsVisitor AttractionShetland Wide

Our mission is to safeguard, enhance, and promote Shetland's heritage, ensuring it is accessible to be enjoyed by all.

Shetland Amenity Trust constantly strives to preserve and enhance everything that is distinctive about Shetland's cultural and natural heritage, promoting access to it whether physical or intellectual.


The Trust was created in 1983 and has since delivered an extensive range of high quality heritage and culture projects, in partnership with a range of local, national and international agencies.

We continue to be pro-active in seeking new opportunities and identifying new funding sources, to further enhance the heritage and culture experience for local Shetland people and visitors to our islands.

We are part of a community which takes great pride and pleasure in our cultural and natural heritage, embracing traditions, dialect and our physical environment in all of our activities.

Discover our sites

Shetland Amenity Trust welcomes thousands of visitors to our heritage sites and events each year.

All sites season ticket (sales on hold)

We now offer a season pass that will provide you with access to all of our paid for visitor attractions all season long. You can buy your pass at any of our venues (Shetland Museum & Archives, Crofthouse Museum, Old Scatness Broch & Iron Age Village, and Sumburgh Head Lighthouse and Visitor Centre).

Shetland Museum and Archives

WE ARE OPEN!

Find out more and book your free visit now.

Our Five Star, award winning Museum and Archives is a multifunctional visitor attraction in the heart of Shetland's capital town of Lerwick. Begin your journey through the history of our beautiful islands here, with an enjoyable and interactive visitor experience discovering our world renowned collections. The Museum and Archives is managed by the Shetland Amenity Trust, a small charity caring for Shetland's natural and cultural heritage. It is free to visit the Museum and Archives and donations are welcomed to help the Trust care for the collections and our heritage both now and in the future.

Visit Us / B o o k

We are now open to booked groups only - we look forward to welcoming you to the Shetland Museum and Archives.

Collections

Visitors and researchers can explore the fascinating story of Shetland’s heritage and culture in one place, with access to a wealth of documents and artefacts covering all aspects of the islands' past at Shetland Museum and Archives.

Education & Research

Shetland Museum and Archives offers a comprehensive education programme, with access to workshops focussing on different areas of our collections, and outreach sessions in the community.

Online Resources

Access document and photo archives online, or download a choice of teaching resources, or visitor activitity sheets.

Community Heritage

Shetland’s heritage is researched, collected and exhibited throughout the islands by a network of local museums and heritage centres. Each museum and heritage centre in Shetland is unique, highlighting the various and changing aspects of natural and cultural heritage in each area.

Venue & Event Hire

Shetland Museum and Archives offers first class venue facilities for hire in a stunning dockside location. From conferences and meetings, to weddings or birthday parties, our versatile spaces are suitable for any event.

Key Events

Shetland Amenity Trust are proud to present a number of key events during each year which promote Shetland's heritage and culture.

Each event has it's own programme of activities which encourage engagement with natural and cultural heritage, and generate income for the local economy.

Shetland Nature Festival was established in 2007 and covers all aspects of Shetland’s unique natural heritage. With a programme that includes everything from guided walks to family days out and evening talks there's something for everyone. For more details click here.

Shetland Wool Week was established in 2010, and is a world renowned celebration of Britain’s most northerly native sheep, the Shetland textile industry and the rural farming community on these islands. Find out more on the Shetland Wool Week website.

Find out more on our Shetland Boat Week page. This is a relatively new addition to the heritage event calendar, having been established in 2016.

Environmental Improvement

The Environmental Improvement Section of Shetland Amenity Trust is primarily responsible for a number of environmental enhancement initiatives and recycling projects throughout the isles, including:

  • Coordination of Dunna Chuck Bruck, Shetland’s overarching environmental awareness initiative.
  • Delivering environmental workshops for Schools and Youth Groups.
  • Providing an Environmental Improvement Service, removing scrap vehicles and redundant agricultural machinery for recycling.
  • Recycling, including aluminium and steel cans and prime building materials.
  • Hosting and facilitating the biannual Shetland Environmental Awards.
  • Management of Carbon Reduction Shetland.

Natural Heritage

The Natural Heritage section of Shetland Amenity Trust is responsible for promoting and protecting Shetland’s rich natural heritage, including flora, fauna, habitats and geology. The section has a number of strategic priorities, which include:

  • Maintenance of the Shetland Biological Records Centre to collect, collate, manage and disseminate information about Shetland’s natural heritage.
  • Raising awareness of, and helping to safeguard Shetland’s biodiversity and geodiversity.
  • Providing, developing and improving facilities and resources for the enjoyment by the public of Shetland countryside and it’s flora and fauna.
  • The development of an interpretive centre at Sumburgh head, focussing on the natural heritage of the area.
  • Maintenance of Geopark Shetland, as part of the European and Global Geopark Networks backed by UNESCO, and promotion of Shetland’s rich and varied geology.
Shetland Amenity Trust Logo
Contact details:
Address:
Shetland Amenity TrustGarthspoolLerwickShetlandZE1 0NY
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