Last week, Columba 1400, based on the Isle of Skye, beat off competition from about 2,000 no-for-profit organisations to win the £500,000 prize at the inaugural Sunday Times Social Entrepreneur Awards.

“We were looking for organisations with a sustainable business model, entrepreneurial flair and the ability to diversify, and Columba 1400 ticked all those boxes," said Liam Black, on of the Judges

Columba 1400, recognised in John Swinney’s Scottish Government Budget as a “vital charity” helping disadvantaged young people reach their potential, is now expanding its programmes of leadership and personal development into new fields.

Already working with young people from challenging backgrounds, those leaving care, and both students and staff from mainstream education, it has recently piloted new programmes with adults working in residential care.

May Croan was in care for five years from the age of 12, a difficult experience that left her angry and confused. It wasn’t until two years ago that May, now 20, found her confidence and her voice, which had been buried beneath those years of unhappiness and frustration.

This journey of self-discovery began, she says, on the Young People's Leadership Academy programme at Columba 1400, the charitable organisation that designs and delivers residential leadership development courses from their headquarters at Staffin, on the Isle of Skye.

Following the recent cabinet visit to Skye, the Scottish Government published the following video podcast, featuring Norman Drummond and Columba 1400.

Click the link below to view the podcast:

http://podcast.scotland.gov.uk/crskye.mp4

WITH confidence and determination you can achieve anything in the world, leading Scots businessman Sir Tom Farmer told Moray pupils this week.

He spent more than two hours in the company of pupils at Lossiemouth High School on Wednesday in support of the Isle of Skye-based charity, Columba 1400, which provides motivational leadership training for young people, many of them from tough backgrounds.

Nine out of 10 pupils who took part in a leadership programme on the Isle of Skye said it had a positive impact on their attitude to school and school work.

Columba 1400’s Ambassadors’ Leadership Academies bring together pupils and staff in a six-day leadership development experience, focused on the future of their school.

For one charity, striking buildings and stunning locations are as important in leadership training as the contents of courses.

COLUMBA 1400, the charity which offers specialist leadership training to pupils and headteachers, is to undergo a massive expansion, thanks to two donors.