It has been 25 years since Common Purpose delivered its very first leadership development programme in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1989. Since then, Common Purpose has grown to be the one of the largest leadership development providers in the world - running local courses for 4,000 leaders each year in cities across the world and global programmes for leaders from over 100 countries across six continents. Local Common Purpose offices up and down the UK have been celebrating the anniversary with a series of special events.

In July, alumni from every single year of Common Purpose's history gathered in Newcastle upon Tyne at the Baltic Centre where they heard from the Founder and CEO of Common Purpose Charitable Trust, Julia Middleton. Speaking after event, Julia remarked: "Today I've met three people who were on the first programme, who were very nervous that they'd let us down - that they hadn't done everything, that they hadn't changed the world yet. Then you talk to them about everything they had done and it was pretty inspiring!"

Hear from Julia Middleton and alumni in the Common Purpose 25th birthday video below

Staff and alumni in London also celebrated the anniversary this month with an event at Somerset House. Here, they heard from Martin Kalungu-Banda who gave a talk on innovation as well as getting the chance to talk with contributors from Lambeth Council and Tapestry Innovation.

Upcoming celebrations to look out for include an event in Sheffield on the 16th October, an event in Birmingham on the 20th October, and an event in Bradford on 19 November.

Has your life been affected by Common Purpose?

You can join in the celebrations by sharing your stories from Common Purpose's 25 year history either on twitter using the hashtag #CPUK25 or in the comments section below.