UKC

Unfortunately, due to a prior appointment, I could not attend the Peak Area Meeting on Friday 8th March.

Could anyone who attended please give an unbiased (or otherwise) run down of the meeting.

I will, ultimately, be able to read the minutes, but that will be for sometime in the future.

Cheers.

Usual good turnout. 

One of the best access updates I can remember. Cressbrook Dale crags (Crag X) is being bought from the Great Reset Loons by. Natural England. Open season for new routing at Deep Rake (where dat?) as difficult quarry owners have gone bust. Some organisation I hadn’t heard of has ponied up for the gold plated bridge at Tideswell - apparentiy the BMC Access group’s £10k donation was instrumental.

Stuff about Stanage Open Forum AGM. Peter Rudd did a remarkable impersonation of a beetroot when praise was heaped on him for his Hillwalking work.

Some knob then lowered the tone by droning on about resolutions and the articles till he was pelted off stage by rotten tomatoes handed out by Rob Greenwood.

The new CEO then told us how he was raised by wolves in the hills and had canoed down Everest. He was then given a polite but specific questioning from the attendees on a range of issues and promised to look into reversing making the AGM online. 
I liked the new venue and its beer. Obviously I didn’t eat any chips. 

"Open season on new routing at Deep rake?"

Surely this is about a different Rake?? Deep is already fully developed. 

What’s the next Rake on from Deep Rake? I think that’s the one. Had some bolted routes put up by John Allen

(Good job I’m not responsible for writing the minutes)

Also fir Tideswell bridge read Cressbrook / Moat Buttress Bridge 

High Rake is above or Backdale Wood below.

 Both are piles of choss.

I think you mean Peter Judd (former hillwalking rep) rather than Peter Rudd?

Issues raised with the CEO were around:

• Openness of communication with members, Paul seemed on board with this and made positive noises about the culture he wants the BMC to have, proof will be in the pudding with this as it's hard work.
• Issues around treatment of athletes were raised, Paul explained that as long as GB Climbing policy has been followed he would support selection decisions, a parent of 2 kids who had been selected (ie. Who hadn't felt let down by recent selection decisions) clarified that there was significant doubt amongst competition climbers around selection policies having been followed, Paul took this concern quite seriously and plans to investigate this.
• Disclosure of finances, Paul seemed to be very pro openness around this, hopefully the first motion will prove superfluous because we will have figures released soon.
• Offwidth asked about diversity on council at some point, I had to nip out of the room when this was raised for some reason, hopefully he can give a bit more detail.
• Online AGM was discussed but Paul didn't know the full rationale (decision taken before he was in post so somewhat understandable given he has only recently started).

Mostly mechanical discussion about the process of getting your motions on the agenda at the AGM where it became apparent that Members Council and the office have different interpretations of the clauses about 25 members and 0.5% of voting membership (I did try and make my points in this area as concise as I could and clarify details).

I'm annoyed now because I fully intended to come, but had cycled to work that day and completely forgot when I got home, had pizza and cracked open a beer in preparation for watching the next episode of Shogun. 

I take there was less katana wielding and heads being chopped off at the area meeting but it does sound interesting! 

Is the next one back to mid week? I still can't get my head around Friday night ones.

May and July are on Wednesday, October (AGM) is a Friday

https://community.thebmc.co.uk/peak

It's High Rake.

There are a few logged sport routes there already on the UKC database. That doesn't mean it isn't choss, obviously. I've never been for a look so I've no idea if there's any scope for further (spectacular) routes.

I was pleased with the response Paul (the new CEO) gave to my question about the need to reduce the Board's involvement in operational issues.

He has already had a positive discussion with the Chair about this.

Hopefully the Board will soon be able to concentrate on strategic matters and leave Paul and his team to deliver on the plan.

There was also a discussion about how easy or not it should be to submit motions to the AGM.

My view is that if it is too easy, there is a danger of AGMs being dominated by a range of motions, some of which may be spurious.

Ian