A former Olympic athlete is leading one of South Lakeland's top corporate training organisations to new peaks of success.

Ian Woods, part of Great Britain's four-man biathlon team that competed at the 1992 Albertville and 1994 Lillehammer games, is now spearheading the corporate training operation at Lakeside YMCA.

He and his team are catching their breath after completing the site's busiest-ever month in terms of training for corporate clients.

September saw hundreds of people from a range of companies pass through Lakeside's doors, including 130 graduates and ten directors from the Babtie Construction; and representatives from the Oaklea Trust, Hallam Management School and the Spirit Group.

With income from corporate training being ploughed back into the YMCA's work with young people, Mr Woods is under no illusions about the importance of management and team-building activities.

For Lakeside plays host to 12,000 visitors each year and 90 per cent of them are young people, ranging from young offenders to young achievers. The site also employs up to 130 staff, depending on the time of year.

"Lakeside offers young people an opportunity to stop and think," Mr Woods told me during a stroll around the 450-acre site, which includes up to a mile of lake frontage. "We are in the business of changing people's lives.

"I meet corporate clients who came here as children and it makes an impact on them. Corporate clients come back here because of the life-changing experiences they had here as young people."

Corporate training is a very competitive industry, especially in Cumbria where there are a number of notable rivals.

Mr Woods said while many training firms sought to be the Rolls Royce equivalent of their industry, he wanted Lakeside to be rated like a Toyota. "I want managing directors to bring training to us for the same reason that they go to Toyota for a fleet of vehicles. What we can do well is deliver the objectives in a cost effective way. We can do it at relatively short notice and on a huge scale."

Demand is high for so-called change management training, where companies undergoing restructuring send their staff to Lakeside to help prepare for shake-ups at work.

One client, for example, is Rolls Royce Compression Systems, which is integrating three teams of workers currently at separate sites into a single operation.

An assault course at Lakeside helps staff prepare to adapt for change. "There are surprises ahead, just as there will be in business," explained Mr Woods. "It's a great tool for team development."

Lakeside has been putting corporate clients through their paces for 20 years, with clients ranging from Marks and Spencer and Keir Construction to My Travel and Courrs Brewers.

Lakeside's stunning location gives it an edge over rivals. "There isn't a site that can match it in Europe. It gives us a great advantage over other companies," said Mr Woods.

Accommodation at Lakeside is extensive and varied, from basic tents for summer camps to recently-opened self-contained log cabins holding up to 15 people.

Mr Woods is keen to attract more companies to make use of Lakeside's training facilities, and the site is holding a taster day on October 11 for people to see what is on offer.