We have formalised our identity in an association called the Friends of Iona, 1997. (1997 was the 1400^th anniversary of St. Columba’s death.) Since spreading news of our aims and of our plan to buy the Hotel, this association has grown to over 400 members across the globe, all of whom are interested in the future of Iona as a place of peace, sanctity and beauty.

We have also formed a company called S.C.H. Iona Ltd. which has bought and is now running the St. Columba Hotel. This company has now grown to 90 investing members, all drawn (necessarily for legal reasons) from the membership of Friends of Iona, 1997.

Iona, one of the Inner Hebrides, is a natural paradise with silver sands and aquamarine seas. It has always been regarded as a sacred island and was for a while home to St. Columba who is credited with introducing Christianity to the Scottish mainland. Iona now enjoys a huge number of visitors, estimated to be 150,000 per year.

The natural beauty of the island is such that it opens the heart and feeds the soul. Iona is one of those places where individuals can deepen the experience of their spiritual nature. On a larger scale, it is said that Iona has the power to affect all humanity. For many centuries, it has been a place of prayer for the world.

Our group recognises the special qualities of the island and wants them to continue to be accessible to all: through events at the hotel, the way it is run and its ambience.

Now that the St. Columba Hotel has passed into the group stewardship of S.C.H. Iona Ltd. and its investing members, it has become possible for a much larger number of people to share a constructive and nurturing interest in the Hotel. Our investment programme is continuing to raise capital for the Company and we welcome new investors.

There are also a number of specific items that we would like to replace in the Hotel and which you may like to help us with by way of donation.

Anyone sharing our aims is invited to become a member of Friends of Iona, 1997. If you are interested in becoming an investment partner in the Hotel and want more details, these will be sent to you upon request after registering as a member of the Friends of Iona, 1997 association, following protocol of the British legal system.

The Friends of Iona, 1997 is an association of people who recognise that the island of Iona had been a place of special sanctity and pilgrimage for thousands of years, spanning from pre-Christian times, through the era of St. Columba and the Benedictines, right up to the present day.

1. To assist with retaining the island as a place of peace, sanctity and beauty.
2. To build good relations with those who live permanently on Iona, and to respect their way of life; to help preserve the traditions of the islanders as a cultural heritage.
3. To co-operate with the institutions empowered to oversee the management of Iona, in ways which will protect the integrity of the island and the quality of life on it.
4. To encourage visitors from near and far, from all walks of life, pilgrim or tourist, to come to Iona and experience its uniqueness.
5. To promote the continuation and growth of holistic education on the island, including the teaching of those truths which are common to more than one religious tradition; and to facilitate spiritual unfolding, personal wholeness and cross-cultural dialogue.
6. To recognise the individual spirituality of all beings.

Membership of the association shall be open to any person who shares the common interest of these objectives, and who has paid the annual membership fee, which in the first year shall be the sum of £5 or US$10.