VIKING LONGHOUSE & "SKIDBLADNIR" GALLEY, HAROLDSWICK
In May 2025 a public meeting was held at the Viking Longhouse  in Haroldswick to discuss a community bid to look after the Longhouse and the Galley beside it.
Owned by Shetland Amenity Trust, the Trust was willing for the community to have a licence/lease of the site for a year, to see if they did actually want to look after it. SAT agreed to cover the main costs in that first year, with the community group (now known as "Friends of Viking Unst")  providing labour to do  maintenance work and cover public liability insurance.  SAT covered the costs of materials and grass-cutting and the Friends would collect the donations from the site. A bank account was set up by UP for that purpose.

By the year end, the "Friends" could a) purchase the site from SAT and run it themselves; b) run it for one further year before purchasing it, to build up funds; or c) hand the site back to SAT.
At a meeting in December 25, the "Friends" decided to take on another year's licence/lease, with a view to purchasing the site for the new season in 2027.

Negotiations are now underway with SAT to conclude the purchase by April 2027.
LOCAL LABOUR: Richard Mouat, Jimmy Laurenson and Archie Mouat work on putting preservative on the Galley.
Picture
  LEFT: Chris Gadsby (SAT) working   on  new decking for the Galley in   2023.
  RIGHT: A concert flier from 2025   when Sarah Small performed a Viola   concert in the Longhouse, as part of   a  UK tour to show that concerts   could take place in small venues. She   was accompanied by Sunita   Staneslow from Haroldswick on  harp.