The Shetland Museum and Archives, managed by the Shetland Amenity Trust, has gained the highest grading possible through VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance Scheme, five stars.

The visitor attraction grading scheme assesses the standard of customer care, focusing on the welcome, presentation, hospitality and service as well as other facilities, such as the toilets, shop and Café Restaurant. The standards set are very high, with only ten other museums, including the Kelvingrove in Glasgow and National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, attaining this prestigious grade.

VisitScotland were very impressed with the ‘world-class facilities and outstanding presentation of Shetland’s history through time’. Their report praised the exceptional standard of the facilities and services throughout the building as well as the public art and Hay’s Dock setting.

The Museum and Archives staff were all delighted to hear the news. Tommy Watt, Curator, said: “Attaining a five star visitor attraction rating within six months of opening is a huge achievement. This is a credit to the whole Museum and Archives team, in particular the visitor service assistants and Café Restaurant staff, who greet our visitors every day”

Jimmy Moncrieff, General Manager of the Shetland Amenity Trust, was also thrilled: “Receiving this type of recognition not only shows what a fantastic service the Museum and Archives provides but also helps to raise the profile of Shetland’s Heritage and Culture, which is one of our key objectives. It also reflects the quality of visitor attractions in Shetland and the importance we put on ensuring our visitors have the best experience possible. I would like to thank everyone involved in achieving this.”