An Award Winning Summer at HMS Unicorn
Innovation recognised, momentum building
Summer 2025 has been a season of significant progress and success for HMS Unicorn. We were honoured to win VisitScotland’s Thistle Award for Innovation, celebrated becoming a Fair Wage employer, and welcomed new colleagues as our team has grown to 22 staff across all departments.
Visitors are already noticing changes on board. New gangways have been installed, the gift shop is being enhanced, and reviews of our on-board interpretation are underway. A new learning strategy is also in development. Behind the scenes, 80% of our collections have been relocated, supported by a full condition assessment and new Modes software.
From forging partnerships with Discovery, Glenlee, the Mary Rose and Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, to representing the ship at the Princess Royal’s Charities Forum and Museum Expo, HMS Unicorn is now firmly part of national conversations. Locally, we’re proud to launch a new corporate partnership with Apex Hotels.
At the heart of it all, Project Safe Haven continues to gather pace. Permission to Start has been secured from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, our £500,000 application to Historic Environment Scotland has progressed, and a £50,000 Essentia Foundation grant is secured. With so much achieved this summer and so much more to come, HMS Unicorn is sailing into an exciting future.
Keep reading below to find out what else Team HMS Unicorn have been up to!
The Opening of The Fo’c’sle
For the first time in 50 years, the forecastle, or fo’c’sle, at the forward end of HMS Unicorn’s upper deck has been revealed. The space had long been hidden, originally built to store equipment for events, but often said to make the deck look more like a village hall! With the bulkhead now removed and the area completely cleared, visitors can once again appreciate the elegant sweep of the ship’s sides, extending all the way to the bow. This change has been truly transformative for HMS Unicorn, attracting visitors who are coming especially to experience the newly revealed fo’c’sle.
Before
After
Experience the fo’c’sle for yourself & book your visit!
New Mooring Lines from Babcock
We are incredibly grateful to Babcock’s Rosyth facility for gifting HMS Unicorn brand-new mooring ropes just as our old lines began to fray. Supplied as a 220-metre length and cut to size by Mackay Boatbuilders in Arbroath, the eight-strand, spliced-eye ropes are lighter and stronger, helping keep Scotland’s oldest ship safe and secure for the future.
Wondering how you can support HMS Unicorn and help Save the Ship? Find out more
Volunteers Night
We hosted a dedicated evening for our volunteers to meet all of our new staff and of course we had some pizza! This was a fantastic evening for our hard working volunteers to find out more about our new team, what each of us do and it was the perfect chance for our team to find out more about our volunteers. It was a successful evening and we plan to do this again soon.
If you want to make a difference in your local community, why not find out more and volunteer with us!
Sensory-Friendly Quiet Hour
With thanks to our Learning & Heritage Manager, Beth Hampton, and our Operations Manager, Kelly Forrester, we’ve launched a sensory-friendly Quiet Hour every Sunday from 10 to 11am.
It is designed for, but not limited to, people with autism, additional needs, neurodivergence or sensory needs, who may prefer a more relaxed experience. As well as their families, friends and carers. During Quiet Hour we switch off all TVs and temporarily silence the ship’s bell to reduce noise, creating a peaceful, welcoming space for everyone on board. This is an important step in our commitment to accessibility and inclusion at HMS Unicorn.
Find out more and book your quiet hour visit.
Visit Scotland Thistle Award & TripAdvisor Award
We’re proud to share we have won the Scottish Thistle Award for Innovation (VisitScotland Central & East). This recognition celebrates our Wavemakers volunteers, inclusive community projects, and Project Safe Haven. With huge thanks to our team, volunteers, and partners for making it possible.
Our good news of the Thistle Award win got us an amazing full page feature in The Courier! We were also featured on the All At Sea website and on the Dundee Culture website. Check out the articles below.
Scotland’s Oldest Ship HMS Unicorn wins Scottish Thistle Innovation Award – All At Sea.
HMS Unicorn just received a Scottish Thistle Award for innovative efforts – Dundee Culture.
We’re also delighted to share that HMS Unicorn is now ranked among the Top 10% of Things To Do Worldwide on Tripadvisor! We send warm congratulations and heartfelt thanks to our Front of House team. Their friendly welcomes, thoughtful assistance and consistent care for every visitor made this achievement possible. They set the tone on board, and we are incredibly proud of our team.
View HMS Unicorn on TripAdvisor.
From all of us aboard HMS Unicorn, thank you for being part of our success this Summer. Your support is helping secure a safe future for the ship through Project Safe Haven.
We have more to share in the months ahead, and we look forward to keeping you updated!
Many thanks,
HMS Unicorn Team
