Page 16 - 2022 AMA Summer

GUESTWRITER
IS THE BMC WORTH £41.45 PER YEAR?
(OR LESS)
By Andy Syme, AMA member and
President of the British Mountaineering Council
Unlike RAFMA and RNRMMC, the AMA is not an Associate Member of the BMC so the majority of you
are not members of the BMC. Even if you don’t want/need the direct benefits the BMC provides, by joining the BMC you will be joining the wider community of climbers, hillwalkers and mountaineers and supporting the work that the BMC does to maintain access to our crags and hills, and represent you on issues that matter to all of us. As a member of the AMA and the President of the BMC, I would like to suggest that joining the BMC is worth the cost of a meal out, a cam or one walking boot!
WHAT IS THE BMC?
Since 1944 the British Mountaineer- ing Council has been representing the climbing, hill walking and mountaineering community. We share their passion for the outdoors and work collectively with partners and stakeholders across the outdoor sector to create a better future for climbers, hill walkers and mountaineers.
We are also the National Governing Body for competition climbing, SkiMo and ice climbing; run the GB climbing team and represent England, Scotland and Wales at the international organisations UIAA, IFSC and ISMF.
WHO ARE OUR MEMBERS?
People who love and practice climbing (indoors and out), hill walking and moun- taineering. Our members come from 3 routes; individual members, club members and mountain training. What do we do? As a membership organisa-
tion of over 80k, we work for and with our membership for future generations of climbers, hillwalkers and mountaineers. As we grow, so does our ability to do more to support our communities to get the most out of their activities on walls, hills, rock, ice and mountains.
All of our income goes back into our work and your membership fees would go towards:
• Protecting existing outdoor spaces and regener- ating them for future generations – climate project and Moors for the Future.
• Protecting members’ rights
to access our spaces – influencing decision makers, working with partners across the sector on key policy issues.
• Protecting members to participate responsibly and safely through the continual development of our network of clubs, regions and volunteers, sharing best-practice guidance and overseeing technical safety of equipment.
• Supporting members to get the most out of their activities through training and development.
• Developing the sport of competition climbing to give climbers in Great Britain the best opportunity to achieve success on the international stage.
WHY DO OTHERS JOIN?
We recognise that members will join for a variety of reasons and needs across our communities; being in a club, wanting to
gain instructional qualification, wanting insurance; but the main reason people join is because:
“I love the outdoors/mountains/climbing and the BMC do a good job in furthering the interests and supporting
people like me”
There is a great article in Summit No 104 but as you need to be a member to read it I’ve lifted a few quotes from real
members.
“it’s easy to take it all for granted and the continual work of the BMC in negotiating and securing access is essential.” –
Steve McClure
“The BMC has organised some great courses which have helped me gain confidence in placing gear and setting up belays. The courses have also helped me assess risks and know my limitations.” – Theo Magas
“Around the UK as a whole I have often climbed on wonderful crags where access is only possible because of painstaking negotiations by the BMC.” – Mick Fowler
“Our organisation, and many like it, are supported by the BMC as part of their active drive to improve participation of under-represented groups across their activities.” – Andrew Higson, Blackdog Outdoors
16 / ARMY MOUNTAINEER