Last Friday, the team behind Carlowrie Castle presented the seventh annual Isobel Award to local charity, The Polar Academy, in recognition of their life-changing expeditions to the Arctic for young people.

The Isobel Award honours the legacy of renowned Arctic explorer, botanist and author Isobel Wylie Hutchison, who defied convention in the 1900s and lived a life of adventure, community giving, and wonder for the natural world. Carlowrie Castle was Isobel’s family home and the place she would return to after each of her adventures.

Inspired by Isobel’s spirit of giving back to people and the planet, every year the team behind Carlowrie Castle presents The Isobel Award to an individual or group who has overcome adversity and made a positive impact on their community. The winner receives a bespoke hand-made trophy, a monetary donation, and one year of dedicated operational support by the team.

With a keynote speech by Lise Wortley, adventurer who gained fame by re-creating historical women's expeditions and the runner up on Channel 4’s ultimate survival series ALONE, this year’s event was a powerful celebration of determination and breaking boundaries.

The Polar Academy impressed the judges with their efforts to lift young people out of “invisibility” and empower them to become resourceful, curious, and confident individuals. Working with teens and their parents or caregivers, The Polar Academy leads an intensive year long physical and mental training programme, which culminates in an expedition in Greenland. The Polar Academy has worked with over 240 young people and their families to date.

Working closely with schools all over Scotland, The Polar Academy model is built around an 18-month planning schedule for each annual intake of participants. Their programme includes cold chamber training at Napier University, tyre hauling training, and weekly check-ins with parents and teachers in preparation for a 10-day expedition in Greenland.

Craig Mathieson, founder of The Polar Academy, says: “For the past 12 years we’ve had the privilege of working with some incredible young people and their families from all over Scotland. We take ordinary young people, who have unfortunately experienced some sort of trauma in their life, such as bullying or bereavement and prove to them what they are truly capable of. At the Polar Academy, we don’t just change lives, we help them find purpose, resilience and belief in themselves”.

Andrew Marshall, owner of Carlowrie Castle and founder of Carlowrie Group says: “From our first conversation with Craig, we knew The Polar Academy was the obvious winner of our Isobel Award this year. His story and the impact the charity has on the lives of children and their families is nothing short of incredible. We look forward to supporting them with their mission in every way we can.”

The Isobel Award ceremony was attended by 80 invited guests from across the charity and business sectors for an evening of inspiration, celebration, and connection. The Isobel Award and Carlowrie Castle are part of Carlowrie Group, which encourages relationships between business and charities to create a positive impact for communities.

Previous winners of The Isobel Award include: children’s mental health charity With Kids, environmental charity founder Amy Bray, and wellbeing charity Art in Healthcare, among others.

The Polar Academy named as Carlowrie Castle’s 2025 Isobel Award winner