When George MacLeod died in 1991 one of Scotland's leading broadsheets "The Herald" described him as being "possibly the most significant Scot of the twentieth century"

Whilst the comment raised a few eyebrows few would dispute that he was the Church's most significant leader of his generation. Born the son of a baronet Conservative M.P. for Glasgow Central, George MacLeod was educated at Winchester and Oxford before enduring four formative years as a front line fighter in the trenches of the First World War latterly ending with a Military Cross and a Croix de Guerre.
Following the war he became ordained as a Presbyterian minister and as a good looking, wealthy, former war hero held a number of prestigious posts including assistant minister as Edinburgh's St. Giles and then as minister of St. Cuthbert's.

However, these "establishment" roles did not suit the radicalism instilled by his war experience and by the early thirties he was describing himself as "An uncomfortable socialist and a reluctant pacifist" and in 1938 launched a hands on project to restore the ruined Cathedral on Iona as a rallying base for radical change within the Kirk.

By the sixties the Cathedral was finished, the "Iona Community" was a major force in the world Kirk. Macleod went on to pursue a diverse career, which eventually saw him being awarded the Templeton prize for religion, a cash award that now services the financial needs of the George MacLeod Trust.

The Trust has been set up to provide an income, up to a total of £5,000 per annum, to be paid out in either small donations or one lump sum to an individual, group/s wishing to advance peace in the world. If you wish to apply to the Trust, please click on the application link below.

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