End of year message from BMC CEO Paul Ratcliffe

Dear members,

My last climb of the year was Curved Ridge on Buachaille Etive Mòr, with Finlay Wild and members of the British Mountaineering Guides. On the descent, I found myself reflecting on the year and how fortunate I am to enjoy our spectacular mountain landscapes and to be part of the inspiring and supportive community that is the British Mountaineering Council.

Community has always been at the heart of the BMC. As the year draws to a close, our network of 244 clubs has grown to more than 26,390 members, the highest since 2017 and our overall membership has risen steadily over the past four months to reach 81,000+. Thank you for your support. It is this collective voice that allows us to secure access, support participation and performance and protect the places we adventure in.

Access and Conservation were a major focus this year. We reopened Skeleton Ridge on the Isle of Wight after four years, designated all eight BMC-owned crags as open access land under CROW, and improved accessibility at Horseshoe Quarry through the BMC’s Land and Property Trust. Alongside this practical work, we have led the way to press for wider access reform through the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Access to Nature and Outdoor Recreation, the Outdoors for All report and the We Wild Camp campaign.

We continued to deliver conservation on the ground. Volunteers removed 4,282 items of litter during the second Yr Wyddfa Big Clean Up, supported nesting bird protections, monitored sensitive alpine environments, and contributed to upland restoration projects, including the repair of paths in Eryri and the Lake District. More than 140 volunteers took part through the BMC’s Access and Conservation Trust whose climate work received international recognition.

READ: BMC Access and Conservation Impact Report for 2025

Members came together in large numbers through events, competitions and volunteering, from our inaugural Basecamp event and regional festivals to the 32 Youth Climbing Series events, National Championships, and the return of our International Winter and Summer Meets. These moments remain a vital part of how we connect, develop and celebrate our community.

I was fortunate to get to many of these events during the year, with the BMC supporting more than 89 activities and 48 volunteer led hill walks and reaching over 900,000 people in person and online. Some highlights were the ClimbOut Festival, the British Championship events at the new Big Depot in Wythenshawe and at EICA: Ratho in Edinburgh, our local area climbing festivals and our largest ever Youth Climbing Series Grand Final with more than 500 young climbers. In 2026, we will build on this momentum with a Basecamp festival at Castleton YHA and the launch of a new BMC Hill Walking Festival.

It was also a standout year for performance. Erin McNeice’s overall Lead World Cup title was a landmark achievement and earned her the PLx Athlete Award. Tom Livingstone and Ales Cesen received the Piolet d’Or for their first ascent of the West Ridge of Gasherbrum, and our Patron Sir Chris Bonington hosted a celebration marking 50 years of Everest the Hard Way. We welcomed 11 athletes into the Performance Programme, supported more than 100 athletes through the England Talent Pathway, and continued to strengthen the para climbing pathway and the GB Ice Climbing and GB Ski Mountaineering Team.

With Sport England funding, we have collaborated with our partners at Mountain Training, Association of British Climbing Walls and NICAS. Some highlights have been the development of Performance Coaching Awards, a National Standard and mark of excellence for indoor climbing walls with a focus on safety and professionalism and helped to provide structured climbing development programmes for young climbers to have the skills and confidence to progress safely.

In January, we will launch our new 2030 Route to Adventure strategy, developed with members and for members. It sets out how the BMC will continue to care for our environment and grow access, participation and performance in a sustainable way over the next five years, ensuring your membership continues to make a meaningful impact across our broad range of activities.

All that remains is to say thank you for your continued support and for being part of the BMC community. Your help makes this work possible and I’m grateful for the time, care and commitment you give to our activities and the places we value. I look forward to building on this work together in 2026.

I wish you a great festive season and a healthy, adventurous New Year.

Paul Ratcliffe, BMC CEO