Value of charitable trust reserves falls by £30m in first month of Iran conflict

THE VALUE of Shetland Charitable Trust’s (SCT) investments dropped by £30 million in the first month of the conflict in Iran.

A spokesperson for the trust said the value of investments at 27 February was just over £470 million.

However, by 27 March they had dropped to approximately £440 million.

This figure was the lowest they have been during the period of conflict.

Since forming in 1976 with oil funds, SCT has spent more than £350 million in the local community with regular beneficiaries including the recreational and amenity trusts as well as Shetland Arts and care homes.

However the value of investments often dip or increase due to fluctuations in the financial market, with a long-term approach in place.

For example the value had dropped by around £23 million since the start of 2026 through to mid to late February – falling to £463 million.

The US-Israel-Iran conflict has caused financial instability, with the price of oil for example experiencing an uplift.

The trust’s financial plan for 2025 to 2030 assumes a medium-term return on these investments of 7.5 per cent.