What a ride! There was a bash, and then a smash, followed by some VR soloing and big screen adventuring at the BMC Sheffield Adventure Film Festival 2019. We had a blast and we hope you did too – here are our highlights of the festival. What was your best bit?
BMC 75th Bash then #Smash
First we got bashed by the acerbic wit of the BMC’s Niall Grimes, then we got #Smashed to forget all his cutting remarks and painful one-liners. To celebrate the BMC’s 75th anniversary year, we put on an extra special event on Saturday night in the style of the hugely popular BMC Breakfast Club event at Kendal. We ordered in lots of laughs, lots of freebies, and some never-before-seen videos of James McHaffie, Adam Ondra, and historic footage from the founding of the BMC.
Then followed the #Smash, a late-night disco-driven party where festival-goers made up for a day of sitting in cinemas by having a few beers and a major boogie. DJs laid down an evening of dance tunes and festival vibes in the Showroom Bar, where everyone caught up to discuss the inspirational movies they had just seen and plan their next adventures.
Introducing: The BMC’s H2O campaign
We’re getting ready to remove mountains of waste! On Saturday the BMC launched its new campaign Hills 2 Oceans (H2O) to help encourage the nation to remove as much litter and plastic from our hills, mountains and crags as possible so it doesn’t end up in our oceans. It’s estimated that 80% of all the debris in our oceans and seas comes from inland, so we’re calling for all BMC members and members of the public to join an existing litter pick or organise their own to help make sure this doesn’t happen.
The BMC is here to help! We’ll provide information and resources to make it easier for you to organise your own litter pick. Find out more in the article below.
Past and present BMC presidents
Take your pick! Not only was Lynn Robinson, the current BMC president, on the BMC stand and at all the events, lending some of her boundless enthusiasm and energy to help carry us all through, but a number of past BMC presidents came to lend their support too! It was great to see so many of them together at once with loads of smiles!
BMC presidents in the photo below, from left to right: Rehan Siddiqui, Rab Carrington, Lynn Robinson, Dave Musgrove, and Scott Titt.
Meeting the winners of #WAF19
Congratulations to all the winners of the BMC Women in Adventure Film Competition this year. There was a record number of entries in 2019 and it was incredibly hard to choose the best out of such a worthy bunch.
The Grand Prize award went to Aziza by Emma Crome and Matt Pycroft of Coldhouse Productions. Set in the streets of Bou Tharar and the wide, craggy valleys of the lower Atlas in Morocco, this is the story of Aziza Raji who has thrived in the world of ultra-racing. The combination of her ambition, determination, and the loving support of her family has helped her to overcome many social and cultural challenges, and has made her a role model for other up-and-coming athletes in Morocco.
Producer Emma Crome says: “The team here at Coldhouse have decided to donate our winnings to Aziza, who is preparing to run the Marathon Des Sables. For Aziza, entering races is a very expensive process, and she struggles to find sponsorship in Morocco. We hope the money will go a long way in helping her to achieve her running ambitions. So a huge thank you to BMC and the WIA competition, it's such a powerful way of making a difference to people’s lives .”
Find out who won the Runner Up and Judges Special Mention prizes and watch the winning films in the full article below.
Kathmandu joins the adventure
It’s not only our members that are joining the adventure for the BMC’s 75th anniversary! Wrapping up a stellar weekend was this little gem, we hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
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