Wick Development Trust has completed the purchase of St Fergus Church in Wick, announcing plans to run the historic building as a community facility.

Formerly known as Wick Old Parish Church, the 196-year-old property sits on the western edge of the town centre and has been a focal point for local life for nearly two centuries.

The £80,000 acquisition has been funded largely by SSEN Transmission's Shetland HVDC Link Local Fund, which awarded more than £62,000 (£62,197.38) to the project. The remaining balance came from profits generated by Wick River Campsite.

The Trust was approached by church elders when it became clear the building would close for religious worship, to explore whether it could be retained in community ownership. A conceptual appraisal followed, aligning the opportunity with an earlier, shelved project for 30 High Street in Wick.

An in-depth business plan found the proposal viable. Although significant capital investment will be needed to realise the full vision, early assessments indicated strong and lasting community benefits.

Backing for the transfer was bolstered by a local campaign from members of the former congregation, who gathered more than 2,000 signatures supporting the church passing into the Trust's hands.

A wider appraisal of vacant major buildings and insights from a recently commissioned Community Development Plan underlined the church's importance to Wick. The Trust weighed risks including potential disrepair or purchase by an absentee landlord, concluding that dereliction of such a prominent site would seriously undermine town centre regeneration. After securing funding and commissioning a condition survey, an £80,000 offer was submitted to the Church of Scotland and accepted in early August.

-- Advertisement --

Following initial repairs, the newly named St Fergus Community Centre will open for community use and group bookings. On the ground floor, there will be a small hall and a larger hall, two meeting rooms, a kitchen and toilets.

Plans for the first-floor former Sanctuary include transforming it into an events space suitable for concerts, weddings, funerals and conferences. Organisations interested in hiring the spaces are encouraged to contact [email protected] or [email protected].

These initial operations will act as a proof-of-concept to test demand for a dedicated events venue while the Trust continues developing its longer-term ambition to convert the former church into a family recreation centre.

Alistair Jack, Chairman of Wick Development Trust said: "This is a really exciting time for the Development Trust, and we are absolutely delighted that we have managed to acquire this impressive building. I would like to pay special thanks to the former and current Church of Scotland congregation of Wick and members the local community for all their support, BBM Solicitors for taking care of all of the legal aspects, and of course the main funders of this acquisition, SSEN Transmission, without whom we would never have been able to secure this property for the future of our community.

"Whilst this marks a major milestone for the Development Trust, I want to reassure the community that we won't be abandoning our plans for the redevelopment of the town centre, and it is our intention to continue with these plans as well as operating and developing plans for the St Fergus Community Centre. It is going to be a lot of work to develop and deliver multiple capital projects simultaneously, so if there are any members of the community who would like to get involved to help with any of our projects, then please get in touch with our Development Manager, Kerry [email protected] ".

Felix Spittal, Community Fund Manager at SSEN Transmission, said: "We're delighted that funding from our Shetland HVDC Link Local Fund has helped Wick Development Trust secure St Fergus Church for the community. It's clear from the level of local support that this historic building means a great deal to people in Wick, and it's fantastic to see it being given a new future as a community facility. Our community benefit funds are designed to support projects that make a lasting, positive difference in the communities hosting our infrastructure that we're proud to serve, and we're very pleased to have played a key part in helping keep this important local asset in community hands."