BMC Monthly Bulletin February 2024

Welcome to your BMC February bulletin. This month's highlights include additional member benefits, our latest edition of the Green Guide series - the Uplands, and more volunteer opportunities.

February has seen crucial work delivered for members across many areas of the BMC, here’s a roundup of some key moments.

RECRUITMENT UPDATE

We recently welcomed Paul Ratcliffe into the position of CEO, who took up the reins at the start of the month. We have also welcomed a new Governance and Compliance Manager, Thom Nixon, along with Events Coordinator, Alex Zglobis, and are delighted to have these roles filled with some excellent members joining our staff team.

BMC Non Executive Director Fiona Sanders has recently stepped down from her role, after four years of commitment, passion and drive as a member of the Board. She has now taken up the role of Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Mountain Training Trust, the charitable trust responsible for running the National Outdoor Centre, Plas-y-Brenin, in Capel Curig, North Wales.

We are currently recruiting for a membership administrator, application deadline is 05 March, visit our jobs page for further details.

FINANCES

2023 finances have been finalised whilst building a robust and low risk budget for 2024. We have been working closely with UK Sport on grant management for the Olympic cycles and reviewing how we summarise and communicate our funded activities more clearly. We have had to manage increasing costs across a number of areas and are dealing specifically with significant increases in our insurance premiums. The Board will be communicating more information relating to the 2024 budget in the coming weeks.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Have your say at the BMC Members Annual General Meeting 2024. This year, the AGM will take place on Wednesday 12 June 2024 as an online only meeting.

All the info you need is right here.

ACCESS

Our team recently saw a huge piece of work come together with the launch of ‘Access Land’. This short film advocates for a future where access to nature isn’t a privilege but a right. This work sits right at the heart of the BMC by ensuring access to our outdoor spaces is high on the national agenda alongside other important issues related to outdoor activities.

Find out more here.

We continue our thought leader and influencer work through our contribution to the “Outdoors for All” coalition, signing up to the manifesto, and seeking to extend responsible access to more green and blue landscapes. Along with 42 other organisations we are attempting to influence all political parties prior to the next General Election.

WATCH: Outdoors For All

The BMC’s Tom Carrick (Access & Conservation Officer (Wales)) and Eben Muse (Policy & Campaigns Officer (Wales)) have been hard at work creating another film in our Respect the Rock series - South Wales Sandstone - to show some of the mistakes climbers might make at sandstone crags in South Wales.

Tom has also been out with the writers of a new climbing guidebook for the adventurous Llŷn peninsula, discussing seasonal restrictions along the coastline to avoid disturbing nesting birds this spring and summer.

At the BMC we are passionate about securing access to crags for climbers by negotiating with landowners and conservation bodies on your behalf. At the same time we have to meet our responsibilities as climbers towards the local wildlife. Here are some things to look out for as we head into spring and the nesting season.

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ALLYSHIP

We are proud to support and share the launch of the new Allyship in the Outdoors course funded by The North Face Explore Fund. ⁠Which the BMC has contributed to.

⁠Intended for those who work and operate in the outdoor industry including brands, organisations, coaches, instructors and volunteers, this 1-hour online course is designed to foster a deeper understanding of the unique challenges faced by people of colour when accessing the outdoors. ⁠

⁠Find out more and complete the course.

BMC AT THE NATIONAL OUTDOOR EXPO

We're gearing up to head to the National Outdoor Expo in Birmingham between the 23-24 March.

Be inspired and motivated by some of the world’s greatest outdoor enthusiasts speaking on the Inspiration Stage, including Leo Houlding, Aldo Kane, Rhiane Fatinikun, Deon Barrett and Ben Fogle.

Come and find the BMC stand - opposite the climbing walls - join us and BMC Ambassador Mary-Ann Ochota to take some time out from the hubbub of the Expo and listen to the many talks and films we'll be showing on our stand over the weekend.

Members can still get discounted tickets. Will we see you there?

SUSTAINABILITY

The BMC Green Guides series highlights the BMC's commitment to environmental stewardship and offers practical advice for minimising our impact as climbers, hill walkers, and mountaineers. Our latest edition, Green Guide to the Uplands, is packed with essential information on how to care for our fragile upland landscapes. ⁠Read and downland here.

VOLUNTEERING

As part of our Climate Project initiative, volunteers recently teamed up with Moors for the Future to plant sphagnum moss, thereby helping to improve biodiversity and the hydrology of the moorland.

If you want to get involved with future #GetStuckIn volunteer days, we have a number of opportunities across sphagnum planting, path repair and invasive species clearing, all the info you need is here.

BMC VOLUNTEER AWARDS

The BMC depends on the support of hundreds of volunteers, and recognises their vital contribution to our work through annual awards. BMC members are invited to nominate a volunteer for an award recognising the volunteers that go above and beyond.

Click here for nomination details.

MEMBERS OPEN FORUM - WEBINAR

Don’t forget, that as part of our ongoing commitment in creating new opportunities for members to keep up to date with BMC news and activities we are running a series of Members Open Forum webinars. Registration and questions submission deadlines are online here.

Note: The date of the March Forum has changed and will be on 20 March.

COMPETITIONS

We continue to implement what we have learnt from last year across our competitions and feedback is 'cautiously positive'; which is encouraging. GB Climbing have undertaken the selection trials which will enable us to select our Teams for the 2024 season; it’s been great to hear about the new generation of competition climbers coming through our pathways; and we are developing a clear plan of delivery, with suitable financial control, so that we can better support our competition climbers in achieving their goals in LA 28 and beyond.

The BMC have also worked to improve their involvement in SkiMo, Ice and Para competitions. We recently hosted a world class UIAA Ice Climbing Event in Sunderland, followed by a well attended ‘come and try’ day for people in the area, which hopefully inspired more people into the sport and can be replicated at other walls in the future.

Update on Athlete Health Policy: Growth Plate Fractures information and IFSC RED-S processes

Since the recent publication of the BMC Athlete Health Policy, we are pleased to announce some important updates. The Growth Plate Fracture information sheet concerning growth plate fractures included in the policy has been revised and improved.

As part of our ongoing action plan, we are committed to furthering education on athlete health and injury prevention. Over the course of the year, we will develop educational materials for athletes, parents, and home coaches, ensuring that they are equipped with the knowledge and tools to support athlete health and performance.

STAFF MEMBERS TAKE ON THE LONDON MARATHON

England Talent Manager for the BMC and GB Climbing Sophie Cox and GB Climbing Coach Jamie Vardy are both signed up to run the London Marathon on the 21 April 2024 to raise funds for SportsAid.

Several GB Climbers have received vital funding from SportsAid early on in their careers, including this year’s Olympic hopeful Toby Roberts and British Youth Lead and Boulder Champion Rhys Conlon.

Support them here.

IN MEMORIAM

The BMC is sad to announce the passing of long-time member, activist and raconteur of the climbing scene, Bernard Newman. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to his family at this difficult time. Our membership team has worked very closely with the family to help support during this time.

MEMBER BENEFITS

Finally, we have important additions to our member benefits.

We've been working with our friends at Strava and FATMAP. BMC members can now redeem a free 60 day trial (worth £18.99) of the Strava Subscription, giving access to in-depth training analysis, personalised route suggestions and segments.

We have also announced a new partner, HotelPlanner, a leading travel technology platform and hotel booking search engine. This partnership means that all BMC members can access discounted accommodation via a HotelPlanner portal, whilst including a revenue share on bookings which will help fund the diverse range of community activities the BMC supports.

We are trialling discounted wall entry for BMC members. This is only available at one wall currently but the initial feedback is positive and we hope to work with more walls as the year progresses.

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