The vote is to be held on the 25th April at the BMC AGM held at Plas y Brenin, Snowdonia.
The current President of the BMC Charles Clarke will retire and the candidates hoping to replace him are Rab Carrington (currently Vice President) and Doug Scott.
See the bottom of this web page for details and how to vote and more about the two candidates.
Read: Supporting Statement from Doug Scott: Candidate for BMC President
Supporting Statement from Rab Carrington: Candidate for BMC President
© Alex Messenger / BMC
Access and Conservation
I think that we have to expect that this is the one issue which is closest to the hearts of all of our Members. Without Access to the countryside we are unable to carry out many of the activities which we hold most dear. Within the BMC, we have a very strong team of Officers in the shape of Cath Flitcroft and Guy Keating looking after our interests. Further to Guy and Cath we have Dave Turnbull as CEO whose early experience was in Access & Conservation. This team is backed up by a host of Volunteers on the ground who are doing an admirable job in sorting out the myriad of Local Access issues which constantly crop up. I must admit that I am weak in this Area of the BMC's work, however, my priority as President will be to keep this Team together and working as a unit. Additional to this we need to look at the Access issues which are particular to Wales and must look forward to the appointment of a Welsh Officer. Many of our Members are very active in Scotland; I therefore think that it is right and proper that the BMC continues to support MC of S in its funding for an Access Officer in Scotland.
Clubs and Membership of the BMC
The role of the BMC is to represent its Membership. The BMC draws its membership from those who enjoy the activities of Mountaineering, Climbing and Hill Walking. We currently have a Membership of about 65,000. Though this is an excellent number of Members it might only represent 25% of those people who are active and who the BMC should be representing.
For the past century, Clubs have provided the backbone of the Mountaineering fraternity. Indeed, it was through the Club system that the BMC was set up 65 years ago. It is through the Club system that many of our Members are introduced to the Mountains; through the Clubs many have learnt the basics of climbing and map work.
Over the next 3 years, I want to see the BMC tapping into those 75% non-members and convince them that the BMC is relevant to all of them. This means greater communication to these people. This is not about, artificially inflating BMC Membership, this is tapping into those people who are already participating in Mountaineering and getting them to support the work that the BMC does on their behalf that they currently enjoy for free, and in many ways take for granted.
Over the next 3 years, I want the BMC to support the Clubs in the good work they are doing. To help them in their quest to attract new members; to help them where feasible to bring on novices. I want to make it so that all Club Members want to be members of the BMC.
Over the next 3 years, I want to acknowledge that young (and not so young) people are now entering Mountaineering through different channels. The proliferation of indoor climbing walls, the introduction of climbing into School Syllabus etc mean that many young people are being introduced to the activity from indoors. The BMC needs to look at this situation and see how it can help to support these new starters.
Training and Plas y Brenin
Since their inception, the BMC has been greatly involved in the running of Mountain Leading Training Boards which oversee the certification of all aspects of Mountaineering. Recently the new Climbing Wall Award has been introduced. This introduction reflects the changes which are occurring in our Sport and also reflects the pressure and desire for such awards. Recently, a paper has been written by the National Source Group (a body including representatives from the BMC, MLT, MI & MC of S) to reflect the potential need for coaching certification. I would recommend that the findings arrived at by NSG are accepted and that the process continues until implementation.
Plas y Brenin, based in Wales, is the National Mountaineering Centre. This Centre is run by Mountain Training Trust (MTT) on whose committee the BMC has a voice. I would like to see the ties between BMC and MTT strengthened so that PyB can develop both commercially and as a Centre for Mountaineering in general.
Funding and Sport Council Grants
As we can see from 2008 end of year figures, BMC has Gross Income of ~£1.99m. Of this some 11% (£228k) comes from Grants (mostly from Sport England). This sum of money is extremely beneficial both to the BMC and those who are benefiting from this influx of money. The process of securing these Grants is extremely onerous and time consuming. I would hope to put in place a system within the BMC Office for processing Grant Applications which is not 100% dependent on the CEO.
Once in place, it would be hoped that the same system could be used to secure other funding or sponsorship for any of the BMC core activities.
Office and Officers
Recently, there has been talk about the BMC moving to new premises which will better reflect the outdoor nature and history of Mountaineering. I believe that the current premises are an excellent working environment with a dedicated and loyal workforce. At this moment in time I see no reason to change that situation, though the BMC must always be open to new ideas and opportunities. It should be the role of the CEO to continue this vigilance and in this I will support him.
The BMC currently runs a fairly large office (23 full time; 4 part time). The cost of salaries for this Office is by far the single biggest expenditure; representing 40% of total income. As President of the BMC and Board Member, it would be my duty to ensure that this money is used wisely. I intend to work closely with the Office to make sure that this continues to happen.
Competition and the Olympics
I have been involved in Comps Committee for the past four years and it is a facet of BMC work that does interest me. I appreciate that for many Mountaineers, Competition Climbing is a complete anathema and I completely understand that viewpoint. I sincerely believe that competition climbing is as valid a form of climbing as any other. With the way that people are being introduced into climbing (at a young age via climbing walls) it is interesting to see the interest that these young people take in competing against each other. One has only to witness the excitement generated at a BMC Youth Climbing Series event to realise the asset that this is.
We also have to realise, that for many this is a passing phase and the young competitor soon blossoms into excellent outdoor climbers. Leo Houlding and Ben Bransby who are looked on as being the epitome of trad climbing were honed in their youth by the Youth Series. Likewise, Pete and Katie Whittaker have taken their competition skills and translated it into gritstone climbing at a very high level.
I appreciate that the cost of running Competitions within the BMC is expensive and is an area of which many members do not approve. I will therefore endeavour that facilities are put in place to raise sponsorship for Competition events, thereby reducing the burden on BMC general funds.
The issue of Climbing becoming an Olympic sport has been raised over the past few months. This has been brought about through International Federation for Sport Climbing (IFSC) who are the International Governing Body for Indoor Climbing Competitions. The statutes of IFSC states that members of IFSC should be “pursuing the Olympic ideal”. The BMC is a founder member of IFSC. I would like to find out where the members of the BMC stand on this issue.
© brian a
Communication
For me, communication is the most important aspect of the BMC. We need communication between our Members and the Office so we know what needs to be done and they know what is being done for them. We need to communicate to non-Mountaineers to show the good work that we are capable of and learn to trust out skills in Land Management and Conservation.
The key to communication is the BMC Website and during my term of office, I will do everything in my power to ensure that our website is second to none. This will mean that the website will be structured to each Members own personal needs. Should a members main interest be Hill Walking, then the press of a button will bring up all aspects of BMC work, literature, recommendations, equipment directly relating to Hill Walking.
As well as that we will endeavour to introduce a Members Only forum on the Website.
BMC AGM - How to use your vote
As a BMC member you are entitled to vote at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) - even if you are not able to attend in person. To register your vote simply complete the proxy voting form. Amongst other things, this years AGM features a contest for President between Doug Scott and Rab Carrington and a proposal for Audrey Seguy to become a new Vice-President of the BMC.
Q. How can I get hold of a proxy voting form?
A. The proxy voting form was sent out with Summit 53 and is also available to download here.
Q. What are the voting procedures?
A. Find out all about the voting procedure here.
Q. How can I find out more about the candidate for BMC President?
A. Read more about Rab Carrington and Doug Scott's proposals here.
Q. How can I find out more about the AGM?
A. The AGM is on 25th April at Plas y Brenin. Full details here.
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