Mountain Training UK 2018 AGM and business meeting

This year’s AGM was held on Saturday 23 June 2018 at Tollymore National Outdoor Centre in Northern Ireland. Ten representatives from the mountaineering councils and national Mountain Training organisations (the Members*) met for their second meeting of 2018. They were supported by eight advisers** and six members of MTUK’s Executive. The weather was glorious all weekend and after the meetings on Saturday, many people went climbing including five new attendees, Adge Last, Simon Patton, Lucy Vincent, Steve Saddler and Paul Kellagher.

Here’s a short summary of the meeting:

• At the AGM the Members voted to appoint Dan Downes as MTUK Chair, taking over from Rachael Hinchliffe. With Rachael and Graeme Morrison’s departure at the end of their three year term, the Members voted in favour of Adge Last (pictured above) and Steve Saddler (pictured below) becoming two new MTUK Directors.
• With the Mountain Training Board of Ireland in operation their representatives asked MTUK to review its name and so include Ireland.
• MTUK was thanked by the BMC for their help in the build up to their successful AGM. MTUK had submitted a funding bid via the BMC for the coming three years and the AGM success means that this could now be considered by Sport England. MTUK will now finalise its own revised Articles of Association.
• It was confirmed that Mountain Training’s logo has now been trademarked.
• A review of the levy charged by MTUK to each national Mountain Training organisation per candidate was agreed to begin in the autumn.
• Members congratulated everyone involved in developing the new Mountain Training ‘Our Ethos’ film, funded by Mountain Training England.
• The launch on April 2nd of the revised climbing schemes (Climbing Wall Instructor, Climbing Wall Development Instructor, Rock Climbing Instructor, Foundation and Development Coach and Mountaineering Instructor schemes) went well and overall registrations were on a par with the same five months last year. Work is now underway to finalise the bouldering guidance and begin the process of recruiting providers for the new Indoor Climbing Assistant and Rock Skills, which will be launched at the start of 2019.
• There was considerable discussion about the changing responsibilities of awarding organisation, training provider, candidate and employer with regard to first aid. A paper is now being developed that will make clear proposals on four items: requirements for assessment, guidance for qualified leaders, syllabus references across all schemes and general standards and levels of first aid training.
• There are ongoing discussions about safeguarding, the policies that providers need in place, the various training courses available and the challenges of developing a consistent approach to vetting. These discussions will continue at our meeting October.
• On behalf of MTUK BAIML will explore how to get the International Mountain Leader scheme onto the European Qualification Framework, possibly via SQA.
• Members agreed to reviews of Coaching provision, inter organisational arrangements and the candidate journey with regard to mountaineering council membership.

*The Members consist of representatives from the following organisations:
- Mountain Training Cymru
- Mountain Training England
- Mountain Training Scotland
- Mountain Training Board Ireland
- British Mountaineering Council
- Mountaineering Ireland
- Mountaineering Scotland

**The Advisers present at this meeting were:
- Mountain Training Board Ireland
- Mountain Training Cymru
- Mountain Training England
- British Mountaineering Council
- Tollymore National Outdoor Centre
- Plas y Brenin National Mountain Centre
- Glenmore Lodge
- British Association of International Mountain Leaders
- Association of Mountaineering Instructors

The next meeting of Members of MTUK is Saturday 6 October 2018 - Plas y Brenin.