Support Us
By becoming a Friend, you play a direct part in caring for this extraordinary building. Your support helps ensure that St Magnus Cathedral continues to stand strong at the centre of Orkney life, welcoming worshippers, hosting music and civic occasions, and inspiring all who pass through its great red sandstone doors.
EVERY CONTRIBUTION MAKES A DIFFERENCE
Ways You Can Help
Whether you choose to become a member, make a donation, leave a legacy or support us locally, your contribution helps safeguard St Magnus Cathedral for generations to come.
The Society has no paid staff – all contributions go directly towards cathedral projects and running costs. Every penny raised goes to the Cathedral.
Prefer to join by post? Download the membership form (PDF) and return it to the Honorary Secretary and Treasurer.
Become a Friend
Join the Society online and support the Cathedral’s care and future. Members receive the annual newsletter and one free tour of the Cathedral, by agreement with Orkney Islands Council. Joining takes a few minutes, and you can pay by standing order, bank transfer, cheque or cash.
Make a Donation
Give online via PayPal, or in person through the donation boxes in the Cathedral or St Magnus Centre.
Leave a Legacy
A gift in your will is one of the most meaningful ways to support the Cathedral’s long-term future.
Support Locally
Purchase the Cathedral guidebook, watch the Saga of St Magnus at the St Magnus Centre, or volunteer your time.
JOIN A COMMUNITY OF SUPPORTERS
Becoming a Friend
Membership of the Society is open to anyone who cares about St Magnus Cathedral. Friends come from Orkney, across the UK and around the world, united in a shared love for this remarkable building.
Why become a Friend?
The Society of the Friends of St Magnus Cathedral exists to help support the preservation and protection of this great cathedral for future generations. Through the generosity of its members, the Society supports essential conservation work, restoration projects, and educational initiatives that sustain the life and heritage of the cathedral.
In becoming a Friend, you are helping to safeguard not just a building, but a living symbol of Orkney’s history, culture, and community.
How to join
Members receive an annual newsletter, notice of the Society’s Annual General Meeting, and one free tour of the Cathedral, by agreement with Orkney Islands Council.
The quickest way to join is to fill in our online membership form. It takes a few minutes, and you can pay by standing order, bank transfer, cheque or cash.
If you would rather use a paper form, you can pick one up at the Cathedral or the St Magnus Centre, or download the membership form (PDF).
If you are a UK taxpayer, you can increase the value of your subscription at no extra cost to yourself by adding Gift Aid, on either the online or the paper form.
We warmly invite you to join us.
WHERE YOUR SUPPORT GOES
What Your Support Has Achieved
Over more than sixty years, Friends’ subscriptions and donations have contributed over £1.5 million towards cathedral projects. Here are some of the ways your support makes a real difference.
Renewing the Spire
The copper spire, erected in 1916, is the cathedral’s most distant signal. By 1990 its cladding was failing, and the Friends launched the appeal that paid for it to be renewed.
West Window and Stained Glass
The Friends have supported the installation of the great West Window, work on the south transept Rose Window and the continuing maintenance of stained glass, filling the cathedral with colour and light.
The Willis Organ
Built in 1925 by Henry Willis and Sons, the organ stands at floor level behind George Mackie Watson’s screen. The Friends have supported its care for a century of worship and concerts.
Sharing the Saga of St Magnus
The Society has sponsored film projects and related resources that tell the Saga of St Magnus, helping visitors and locals alike to explore the cathedral’s history in a vivid, accessible way.
Comfort and Welcome
Projects backed by the Friends include new internal and external lighting, a renewed sound system and the replacement of 700 chairs, enhancing comfort and clarity for services and events.
St Rognvald Chapel
In the 1960s the Friends funded the creation of a chapel dedicated to the cathedral’s founder, to designs by the artist Stanley Cursiter.
The “Save St Magnus” Appeal
When the west end of the cathedral was at risk of collapse in the 1970s, the Friends launched a major appeal that raised around £300,000, enabling vital structural work to safeguard the building.
Stonework and the Cathedral Mason
The cathedral is built of red and yellow sandstone that needs constant attention. In 2021 the West Front was repointed inside and out in lime mortar, matched by analysis to the original.
Every contribution, large or small, plays a part in preserving St Magnus Cathedral as a living place of faith and heritage.
Ready to Help?
Your support, however large or small, plays a direct part in preserving St Magnus Cathedral as a living place of faith, heritage and community.
Join the Friends today or make a donation to help fund the Cathedral’s care and future. For enquiries about legacies, corporate support or other ways to give, please get in touch.
The Society of The Friends of St Magnus Cathedral is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO). Scottish Charity Number SC053983.