Donations handed over to Viking Genes

5 June 2025 14:57

Ten people pose indoors, holding a large cheque for £400 from the Bank of Scotland with "Viking Genes Fund" written on it. Three people are kneeling in front, and seven are standing behind.

A donation for Viking Genes came in from the ex-Whalers Association. Back, from left to right: Gibbie Fraser, Jim Wilson, Laurena Fraser, James Smith, David Polson, Thomas Johnston, Alan Leask and Eileen Brooke-Freeman. Front, from left to right: Merran Thompson, Laureen Johnson and Helen Balfour.

A COUPLE of donations were recently made to the Viking Genes fundraising drive for Shetland – with hundreds of pounds handed over.

A donation of £440 was made by the Shetland ex-whalers association, while a further £300 was donated by the St Ringan Cryptic Council No. 300 masonic lodge.

Last month a £1 million fundraising campaign was launched by Viking Genes for a groundbreaking genetic screening programme.

The aim would be identify anyone from the island communities with a higher genetic risk of developing a number of life-threatening conditions, with the focus on prevention.

The hope is to be able to screen 5,000 Shetlanders as it builds on work already carried out by the Viking Genes team, which is led by Professor Jim Wilson from the University of Edinburgh.