Community / Delting Up Helly Aa jarl squad raises £5,000 in charity fundraiser
2025 Jarl James Manson and his squad opened the galley shed to the community for a night of darts and dancing
All photos: Aimee Sutherland
MENTAL health charity Mind Your Head has benefited from a £5,000 windfall after a hugely successful fundraising event hosted by next year’s Delting Up Helly Aa jarl James Manson.
He said he always wanted to host some charity events in the build-up, adding: “You’ve got the perfect opportunity for it when you get the keys to the galley shed as the jarl elect.”
No stranger to organising charity events, the soon-to-be jarl and his wife have organised a couple before, adding: “I chose Mind Your Head because I feel their support is really important for so many at the moment. I was never expecting to raise so much in just one day!”
He put this down to the generosity of the Shetland community when it comes to supporting charities.
Plenty of preparation went into putting the night on, with the entire squad showing up to help set up the galley shed for the public and advertise it to the local community.
Manson said: “I couldn’t ask for a more willing group. A licensed event hasn’t been held in our galley shed before so I was bit unsure how it would go, but I’m so glad we pulled it off.”
The event featured an open darts competition through the day. Liam Sutherland claimed the top prize while Roger Irvine was the runner up and Ross Robertson won the nine-dart challenge.
The Mid Brae Inn supplied a buffet with plenty of variety, and local band The Munchies took to the stage in the evening for a night of dancing.
Manson said: “Many folk had never set foot in the galley shed before and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity. There was a real buzz about the place, and I’m delighted it all went so well.”
He has plans for more events going forward, adding: “I think these types of events are so important for ensuring our wider community can be involved in Up Helly Aa.
“It’s not just for the jarl squad, it’s for everyone – and if local charities can benefit from that, even better.”
Mind Your Head’s Anouska Civico, said the charity felt “overwhelmed” when its team heard about the amount of money that had been raised.
The chief executive added: “Typically, this is a financially difficult time of year for individuals so the fact that so many people still donated towards our charity is even more noteworthy.
“We would like to say a huge thank you to James Manson and his squad for organising the event and thinking of us and hope everyone had a great night.”
Become a member of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider paying for membership to get additional features and services: -
- Remove non-local ads;
- Bookmark posts to read later;
- Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
- Hide membership messages;
- Comments open for discussion.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.
Already a member? Sign in to hide this message.
