As Co-Chairs of Columba 1400, Trustees Week invites us to pause, reflect and celebrate what it means to serve. For both of us, it has been an honour to help guide this remarkable charity through a period of growth and renewal – particularly in our 25th anniversary year.
When we stepped into the role of Co-Chairs, Columba 1400 was entering a new chapter. We recognised that we each brought complementary skills and perspectives – and that by sharing the role, we could strengthen governance, provide stability through change, and model the collaborative, values-based leadership that sits at the heart of Columba 1400.
Those values of Awareness, Focus, Creativity, Integrity, Perseverance and Service aren’t just words we reference in meetings. They shape every decision we make and how we lead. We see them lived out daily across our team and communities: in the young people who rediscover confidence and purpose through our academies, and in the key adults who return to their schools, families and workplaces re-energised by the experience.
Over the past year, our priority as trustees has been to create the conditions that allow this impact to flourish. That has meant making sure our governance is robust while still enabling creativity and innovation. We have sought to balance social impact with financial resilience, ensuring Columba 1400 remains sustainable and strengthened to continue our mission. One of the things we are most proud of is the positive, supportive atmosphere within the Board and the wider organisation. This has allowed our team to focus on what really matters: extending the reach and depth of our impact across Scotland.
We also believe that leadership is most powerful when it is personal. Earlier this year, we took part in the Glasgow Kiltwalk, raising both funds and awareness for Columba 1400’s mission. And Mike’s family business, The Donaldson Group, has been proud to sponsor an annual Young People’s Leadership Academy for nearly two decades – directly investing in young people’s potential and helping them find their own “north star”.
As trustees, our role is both a privilege and a responsibility. It is about guiding strategic direction, nurturing partnerships, and keeping the charity’s values at heart – always asking how we can best serve those who, through Columba 1400, are discovering their own sense of purpose.
This Trustees Week, we are grateful to all our fellow trustees – past and present – whose time, insight and integrity help charities like ours to thrive. Together, we are building a Scotland where more young people can lead lives of meaning and contribution.
Mike Donaldson and Jamie Livingston
Co-Chairs, Columba 1400
