St Kilda
There is no place like St Kilda and Noble Caledonia have been visiting the island on small expedition ships for over 30 years. Towering out of the storm-tossed waters of the Atlantic Ocean, its cliffs and sea stacks clamour with the cries of hundreds of thousands of seabirds. Internationally recognised for its birdlife, St Kilda is no less famous for its human history. A community existed here for at least 4,000 years, exploiting the dense colonies of gannets, fulmars and puffins for food, feathers and oil. Now uninhabited work is required to monitor, maintain and make-good damage caused by time and climate change and such activity is made more complex, costly and challenging by the World Heritage Status of the island, remoteness, by weather and by accommodation. St Kilda was a challenging place to live, it remains a challenging place to care for and to visit. Critical to ongoing protection of the island’s heritage and safe access for visitors, volunteers and staff are vital conservation and development activities, only possible with the support of the public. The Noble Caledonia Charitable Trust continue to work with the National Trust for Scotland and their projects on St Kilda.
For over 90 years, the National Trust for Scotland has endeavoured to protect and promote Scotland’s natural, cultural and built heritage for present and future generations to enjoy. As we journey towards our charity’s centenary, we are focused on our mission - to ensure Scotland’s nature, beauty and heritage, is protected, engaging and accessible for everyone to experience and enjoy. We could not do this without those who support us so generously in our mission. The support we have received from the Noble Caledonia Charitable Trust and from Noble Caledonia staff and passengers is greatly appreciated, and we are very pleased to discuss with Noble Caledonia Charitable Trust opportunities to continue to support our charity in our mission to care for the incredible St Kilda.
Aims
The National Trust for Scotland welcomes those intrepid visitors and volunteers who venture to St Kilda and wants to build on the astonishing stories that have been told and have discovered, to further our knowledge of St Kilda, and the other remote islands of Mingulay, Pabbay and Berneray. Throughout this year they have been working towards a long-term management and development plan for St Kilda, and undertaking significant projects which will underpin valuable heritage assets and future developments. Finalising work supported in 2019 by the Noble Caledonia Charitable Trust, they have completed vital repairs to the island’s lifeline, the pier. They have installed new equipment and repaired infrastructure to ensure the pier’s integrity and safety. This work will ensure that they are able to continue to welcome the thousands of visitors who arrive on day boats, yachts, and cruise ships. And they will be able to host volunteers and contractors who we rely upon to undertake vital conservation activity. Further to this activity are their plans to maintain and repair the fabric of Lady Grange House and the Kirk, undertake an audit of accommodation potential and needs, continued sea bird monitoring, and on-going maintenance of the pier following predicted winter storms. These projects are our immediate priorities and are necessary to carry out to completion before they can explore other projects and areas of work across St Kilda.
Noble Caledonia is a frequent visitor of St Kilda. NCCT has committed to fundraise on board our vessels this summer to raise enough funds to maintain the Admiralty Pier and towards the Church.
Admiralty Pier: Annual monitoring and remedial repair following summer visits and winter storms. Ensuring the safety of the pier will ensure safe access to the island, enabling all other projects and visits to happen.
Total project cost (annual): £5,000 . NCCT will fundraise for this project and cover any shortfall.
Kirk repairs: This historic building is central to the life of St Kilda, today providing a warm welcome and place of reflection for the islands many visitors. Unfortunately, the fabric of the Church roof is suffering extensive water damage and repair is urgently needed. The conservation plan includes repairing the church roof, replacement of rainwater goods, and repair work of internal water damage. The team at St Kilda are now working on a tender for this work and the work is planned to take place over the next two years
Total project cost: £278 000. NCCT will aim to fundraise £4560 to cover the leadwork element of this project.
The Noble Caledonia Charitable Trust are delighted to continue to offer support to the National Trust for Scotland conservation efforts in St Kilda. Below is a short thank you film from National Trust for Scotland ambassador Cal Major.
How to Donate: If you would like to make a donation you can donate online here.
Alternatively if you would prefer to make a donation by cheque please make it payable to ‘NCCT’ and send it to NCCT, 2 Chester Close, London, SW1X 7BE. If you are eligible for gift aid you can increase your donation by 25% at no extra cost to you by using our Gift Aid Form.