Fundraiser stories: Emily's 2026 Mend Our Mountains challenge
Meet Emily Taylor, the BMC member who has chosen the BMC Access & Conservation Trust's Mend Our Mountains campaign for her trig point challenge this year.
This year, BMC member Emily Taylor, a Mountain Leader and Content Creator based in Glossop, Derbyshire, has chosen to fundraise for the BMC Access & Conservation Trust's Mend Our Mountains campaign. Thank you Emily!
Emily's story is particularly pertinent because she has managed to turn a life-changing trauma into therapy and inspiration, which she shares to help others via her Instagram account, @trigsandteeth.
Unfortunately Emily can't make our sponsored Wildfire Walk Sat 30 May, which is now open for registration, but follow her progress on Instagram to be inspired by her enthusiasm for her own hill walking challenge - getting triggy with it... read on for more!
Fundraise for us anytime!
We welcome fundraising from anyone, anytime! If you're keen to help the BMC Access & Conservation Trust repair paths, conserve upland landscapes and habitats and restore the moorlands in our Mend Our Mountains and The Climate Project campaigns, here's everything you need to get started.
What is your day job?
My job is a bit of a patchwork at the moment! I’m a Mountain Leader and Content Creator so as well as running women’s hiking events and courses through my Peak Outdoor Community, I also have an online community on Instagram under my handle @trigsandteeth. I feel very fortunate to work with some amazing brands, testing out products and running community hikes for them.
Where are you based?
In Glossop on the edge of the Peak District.
How did you get into the outdoors?
I’ve always been outdoorsy since being a young girl as my dad was a keen rock climber. But the mountains came later in life when I started to travel around the UK and Europe in a campervan with my now husband in our early 20s.
What do you love most about this passion of yours?
I love that the hills and mountains bring me so much peace. It doesn’t feel like hiking is a hobby - it feels like a necessity to keep my mental health in check. I feel very fortunate that I’ve been able to build a career from my passion for the outdoors.
And why are you a member of the BMC?
I’ve been a member of the BMC since I signed up with the Mountain Training Association at the beginning of my Hill and Moorland Leader journey back in 2022. I’ve since gone on to become a Mountain Leader and will continue with my BMC membership as it’s a fantastic organisation and it’s my way of giving something back to the beautiful outdoor spaces that I work and play in so often.
How did you first hear about the BMC Access & Conservation Trust?
I was volunteering on a BMC sphagnum moss planting day when I first heard about it and I’ve been on a mailing list to help out when dates actually align! Until then, I hope to raise funds to help towards this important work.
What made you choose our Mend Our Mountains campaign for your fundraising in 2026?
I’m turning 40 in December this year and it is also the 90th anniversary of the trig pillar, so I’ve set myself a challenge to visit every mountain in England with a trig pillar on or near the summit. That’s 52 mountains in 52 weeks. Since the mountains bring me and so many others joy, this feels like a great way to give something back.
On a personal level, trig points became an obsession for me after losing my dad to suicide. A week before he died, we spent the day hiking and bagging trigs together. Trig-bagging has become a way for me to deal with the grief of losing him.
What have been the highs of your challenge so far?
Finally getting some sunshine in the Howgills and seeing some summit views from The Calf!
Any lows or particularly challenging parts so far?
My waterproofs have taken a battering! High Pike in the Lake District was a particularly tough one. A solo hike with wind chill temperatures around -10 deg C. That was type 2 fun!
What is your secret to raising a significant amount in sponsorship?
No secrets, I’ll just continue sharing my story on my Instagram page. With almost 50k followers now, I’m hoping to get the message far and wide!
How can the BMC Access & Conservation Trust encourage more people to be like you and take on sponsored challenges to raise money for us?
Since social media is having such a huge impact at the moment and the outdoors niche is in a period of growth, it would definitely be worth tapping into that and working with outdoor influencers to raise awareness of the work the BMC does and the benefits of being a member.
What’s next for you with your challenge and your fundraising?
I would really like to join one of the Mend Our Mountains Get Stuck In days as a volunteer so I can showcase the work that is being done.
More fundraiser stories
Mynediad Newyddion
Meet Emily Taylor, the BMC member who has chosen the BMC Access & Conservation Trust's Mend Our Mountains campaign for her trig point challenge this year.
ACT articles
Meet Gregory Perdon, the BMC member who chose the BMC Access & Conservation Trust for his annual mountaineering fundraising challenge and raised almost £7,200!
Wildfire Walk
Sign up for our 25km sponsored Wildfire Walk from Hathersage, Sat 30 May, to help protect the Sheffield Moors from wildfire. This is part of the BMC Big Walking Weekend and supports our Wildfire Appeal which aims to raise £50,000 to safeguard Stanage, Burbage, Froggatt Edges and Curbar, areas deeply affected by recent fires.
BMC Big Hill Walking Weekend
Throughout the weekend we're running walks, talks, workshops and a chance to meet like-minded hikers, based in Edale, with additional satellite events like the Wildfire Walk from nearby Hathersage.
Protect the Sheffield Moors
We have already raised £50,000 to fund a dedicated Wildfire Ranger to protect the Sheffield Moors area from wildfire this season. Please now help the BMC Access & Conservation Trust raise a further £50,000 to support the team with equipment and restore the moorland for future generations.
£10 funds a roll of 20 sphagnum moss plugs
£25 fully restores 1m2 of moorland
£50 stabilises bare peat with cut heather
£100 funds ten educational social media posts
£200 builds a 2m dam to rewet an eroded gully
£2,000 hires one wildfire-prevention road sign
£10,000 buys a wildfire-detection drone
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ACT articles
Meet Gregory Perdon, the BMC member who chose the BMC Access & Conservation Trust for his annual mountaineering fundraising challenge and raised almost £7,200!
Mynediad Newyddion
As part of The Climate Project from the BMC Access & Conservation Trust, £15,000 has been granted to the Seagrass Ocean Rescue to extend the role of Living Seas Project Officer, Rhys Bowen, by over a year.
Mynediad Newyddion
Our Get Stuck In volunteers are off to a flying start this year with 11,400 sphagnum moss plugs planted and 1,100 trees planted in the Peak District.
Mynediad Newyddion
Thanks to your generous donations, the BMC Access & Conservation Trust are funding a two-year apprenticeship role within the National Trust path repair team in Eryri, part of the 2026 Mend Our Mountains campaign.
Mynediad Newyddion
The BMC Access & Conservation Trust are delighted to fund the first ever dedicated Wildfire Ranger for the Peak District's Eastern Moors area.
Mynediad Newyddion
The BMC Access & Conservation Trust have donated four heavy duty cargo nets to Fix the Fells to help them move large stones during path repair work.
Peak Area Walks
Join us during the Big Walking Weekend for a fundraising wildfire walk to help the BMC Access & Conservation Trust raise money to protect the Eastern Moor hiking and climbing areas from wildfires.
Mend Our Mountains Articles
The BMC Access & Conservation Trust are helping to fund the repair of badly eroded paths on Roseberry Topping in North Yorkshire as part of our ongoing Mend Our Mountains campaign. Here's the latest update.
Mynediad Newyddion
The BMC's Get Stuck In path repair and upland conservation events are going from strength to strength, with eight new path repair dates now available this year in Cumbria and North Wales.
Mynediad Newyddion
Volunteers are the beating heart of the BMC so it's tremendous to celebrate almost 200 of our fantastic members coming together to repair paths, restore the landscape and carry out conservation work in 2025. Here are the latest stats.
Mynediad Newyddion
In addition to welcoming four new trustees, the BMC Access & Conservation Trust has been busy in 2025, securing grants and creating fundraisers to support crag and mountain path repair, moorland restoration and landscape conservation in hill walking and climbing areas. Here are this year's highlights.
Mynediad Newyddion
The BMC had a strong presence at Kendal Mountain Festival this year, with the BMC Access & Conservation Trust charity stand, Women In Adventure film competition and workshop, a local hike, talks by staff members and one BMC volunteer winning a prestigious award.
Mynediad Newyddion
The BMC's Access & Conservation Trust has donated £15,000 to the Seagrass Ocean Rescue programme in the popular climbing and hiking location of North Wales as part of The Climate Project.
Mynediad Newyddion
This October, BMC and Mountain Training Association volunteers joined forces with the National Trust to cut down faster-growing, competitor trees to protect native oak trees in the Upper Derwent Valley of the Peak District.
Mynediad Newyddion
Storms and heavy rain couldn't dampen the spirits of the eleven volunteers who tackled the clogged drainage ditches below the famous Cuillin Ridge in a collaborative project with Mountaineering Scotland and the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland (OATS).
Mynediad Newyddion
At the end of this summer, the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust donated 10 pairs of safety boots to Fix the Fells which will be free to borrow by volunteer path workers.
Mynediad Newyddion
The BMC's Access & Conservation Trust is thrilled to confirm a hugely generous £30,000 donation to our Eryri Apprentice Ranger fund from Athletic Brewing Company's Two for the Trails grant programme.
Mynediad Newyddion
At the end of September, twelve members of staff from the Lancashire Group volunteered on a Get Stuck In event in Eryri (Snowdonia) arranged by the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust as part of the Mend Our Mountains campaign, hosted and instructed by rangers from National Trust Cymru.
Mynediad Newyddion
This September, a team of 12 BMC volunteers laid stepping stones through boggy ground, planted acorns and collected hawthorn berries in Eryri (Snowdonia) as part of the BMC Access & Conservation Trust's Get Stuck In programme.
Mynediad Newyddion
As part of our collective mission to protect the places we love to climb, walk and explore, Cotswold Outdoor – the BMC’s Official Outdoor Retailer – has donated £21,040.91 to The Climate Project, supporting vital conservation work through the BMC’s Access & Conservation Trust.
Mynediad Newyddion
This August, eight Get Stuck In volunteers, funded by the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust, cleared invasive rhododendrons on the edge of Kinder Scout with the National Trust.
Mynediad Newyddion
This August, a team of 12 BMC volunteers helped to protect the mountains of the Glyderau, Eryri (Snowdonia) as part of the BMC Access & Conservation Trust's Get Stuck In programme.
Dringo Creigiau
Access improvements, funded by the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust mean the new owners can reignite the popular MassonFest, a 'weekend of dry tooling fun' scheduled for 17-19 October 2025.
Cerdded Bryniau Newyddion
This August, 12 BMC volunteers spent two days on Scafell Pike, Lake District, making a 20m 'megabund' in the latest Get Stuck In event, funded by the Mend Our Mountains campaign from the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust.
Mynediad Newyddion
The British Mountaineering Council and Peak District National Park Authority – working through Moors for the Future Partnership – have received a prestigious award for our work to conserve the moorlands of the Peak District and South Pennines.
Mynediad Newyddion
This July, eight Get Stuck In volunteers, funded by the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust, removed 400m of barbed wire fence at Dalehead, near Edale, as part of the National Trust's Dalehead Nature Recovery Project.
Mynediad Newyddion
The BMC's Access & Conservation Trust has registered with the Charities Trust to allow you to donate pre-tax via your payroll.
Mynediad Newyddion
Moors for the Future Partnership have been featured on the latest episode of Countryfile, raising awareness of wildfire risk and damage to the moorlands the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust have been helping them to restore in our longterm partnership.
Mynediad Newyddion
This June, 13 BMC volunteers completed an 80m section of previously heavily eroded path below Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and cleared vast amounts of invasive Himalayan balsam in the Ogwen Valley in North Wales.
Mynediad Newyddion
This June, 11 BMC volunteers took on a particularly boggy section of path along St Raven's Edge, above Kirkstone Pass in the Lake District.
Mynediad Newyddion
The BMC's Access & Conservation Trust has joined the 1% for the Planet Environmental Partners network.
Mynediad Newyddion
Cotswold Outdoor invite you to round up your payment at the till in aid of The Climate Project: Seagrass from the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust until 30 June 2025.
Mynediad Newyddion
Last summer's Get Stuck In event placed 187 stepping stones along a 50m stretch of footpath in Eryri (Snowdonia). Event creator Steve Charles reports on how the path is looking eight months later.
Mynediad Newyddion
BMC volunteers have been using sheep fleeces to make sustainable footpaths below Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), North Wales. Why?
Mynediad Newyddion
A huge thank you to everyone who supported our Eryri Apprentice Ranger fundraiser on Big Give this spring, the BMC's Mend Our Mountains campaign raised a grand total of £14,000!
Mynediad Newyddion
BMC volunteers have planted a grand total of 55,845 sphagnum plugs in the Goyt Valley, Peak District, since our Get Stuck In volunteer events started planting this peatland restoring moss, in February 2024.
Mynediad Newyddion
The BMC's Premium Partner, Cotswold Outdoor, has once again shown a hugely generous level of support to The Climate Project from the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust, by sending staff to plant sphagnum moss in the Peak District.
Mynediad Newyddion
Quick, buy that new pair of summer walking boots or waterproof you've been needing for ages and round up your payment at the till in any Cotswold Outdoor store to fund peatland and seagrass meadow restoration with the BMC.
Mynediad Newyddion
This week you have the chance to DOUBLE your impact towards fixing eroded footpaths in the beautiful Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park by donating via the Big Give Green Match Fund.
Mynediad Newyddion
Will you help the BMC's Access & Conservation trust raise vital funds for a new, two-year Apprentice Ranger training role focussed on footpath repair in the beautiful Eryri National Park?
Dringo Creigiau
The new owners of Masson Lees Quarry, Derbyshire, hope to resolve the long-term controversy over parking issues, and many more improvements, thanks to funding from the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust.
Mynediad Newyddion
The BMC's Access and Conservation Trust are recruiting a new chair and a number of trustees to help with the smooth-running of this phenomenal charity that facilitates access, education, conservation and volunteer projects across the United Kingdom to protect our crags and mountains.
Mend Our Mountains Articles
This December 800m of vital path repair works were completed at Chanctonbury Ring in West Sussex, one of the most prominent landmarks along the South Downs Way, and also one of the spookiest... Learn about the legends and try one of five walks there, if you dare.
Mend Our Mountains Articles
500 birch trees have been planted by BMC volunteers at Bransdale in the North York Moors. Walk these 6 nearby trails to appreciate the beauty of this remote corner of wilderness, south of the popular peak Roseberry Topping.
Cerdded Bryniau Newyddion
Will you help the BMC repair footpaths and avoid carbon loss in 2025 as part of Mend Our Mountains and The Climate Project?
Mend Our Mountains Articles
A huge thank you to everyone who has supported the Mend Our Mountains campaign from the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust (ACT) - here are the 2024 highlights!
Mend Our Mountains Articles
Three impassable paths in the Cotswolds National Landscape have been fixed thanks to funding from the BMC Access & Conservation Trust's Mend Our Mountains campaign. Here are three great walking routes using these new paths.
Mend Our Mountains Articles
26,000 plastic bottles have been rescued from landfill to create a new bridge for walkers and climbers at Cressbrook Mill, partly funded by the Mend Our Mountains campaign from the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust.
Mend Our Mountains Articles
This year's International Mountain Day, Wed 11 Dec, the theme is: “Mountain solutions for a sustainable future – innovation, adaptation and youth”. Here at the BMC we are brimming with nature-based solutions in the mountains that contribute to a more sustainable future, so here are 3 easy ways you can help us right now.