AMI Founder's Bursary

AMI – WMCI Founder’s Bursary – Process for an AMI Member to gain a paid place on a WMCI Training Course

(updated by Rob Pugh, August 26th 2022)

Notes

Simon Powell was the Founder of the Association of Mountaineering Instructors and has very kindly offered an annual Bursary to pay for one AMI Member to gain a paid place on a WMCI Training Course. It is the intention that the Bursary goes to someone who may have otherwise struggled to pay for their WMCI training.

Simon has agreed to pay £685 (for 2023) towards the cost of the WMCI Course. If the recipient also requires a residential place at, or near to (eg. staying in a bunkhouse, hostel, B & B) either of the National Centres that is delivering the course, Simon will provide an additional £100 towards accommodation costs. If the recipient lives locally to the Centre and doesn’t require accommodation then the £100 will be held over by the AMI and offered again the following year.

AMI will let the Membership know in early April of each year that the Bursary will be offered soon to generate initial interest. AMI will invite eligible Members to submit applications on 1st May and keep applications open until 31st July.

Here is an explanation of the process and pre-requirements for Applicants for this Bursary:

1. Before applying for the Bursary, applicants must confirm with AMI that they have enough experience to be eligible to attend the WMCI Training course, and provide proof that they are already registered for the WMCI scheme with Mountain Training.

2. Applicants must agree that, if they are the successful recipient, then they will take out cancellation insurance for the course fees, and do this at their own expense.

3. The draw takes place on 1st August involving 2 AMI Committee Members, and the Charity Representative will share who the winner is on the AMI Facebook Members Forum.

4. The Bursary winner then takes out cancellation insurance for the course fees at their own expense, and lets the Charity Representative have proof of this. At this point the AMI will pay the winner the course fee, plus the £100 if accommodation is required.

5. If, for some reason, the recipient has to cancel the course, then they must either re-book another course place the following winter, or refund AMI the full bursary fee at that time. In either situation, any monies that the Bursary recipient doesn´t get back from insurance (eg. Insurance Excess) they must re-pay to AMI themselves immediately.

6. If the recipient re-books for the following winter but, for some reason, do not do the course, the full fee must be refunded to the AMI in a timely fashion.

7. Once the member has attended the course, they will be asked to write about their experience on the AMI Facebook forum which will be useful in promoting the bursary and potentially encouraging others in to offering something similar.