We want to say a big thanks to every BMC member who has continued to support us through the Coronavirus crisis. From weekly Facebook Lives and GB Climbing home training videos, to our access team working to re-open the crags and fight for your mountain access, we couldn’t have made it without you. Read on to discover our latest membership figures.

As of 1 August 2020, we’re pleased to share that the BMC membership is 80,163 strong. The average age is 42 and we’ve got a 27/73 female/male ratio.

How does this compare to previous years?

Our membership figures on 24 December each year are included in the Annual Report for our AGM. Until Coronavirus, we had shown consistent growth year-on-year, and on 24 Dec 2019 we had 85,076 members:

You can read our updated 2019 Annual Report here.

What has been the impact of Coronavirus on BMC membership numbers?

Thanks to the support of our members, our individual member retention rate is almost unchanged and all our affiliated clubs have continued to support us. However, in order to grow our individual membership numbers, more people need to join us than naturally decide to end their membership. We get new BMC members through three main channels: our travel insurance, Mountain Training registrations and people taking out membership. We’re pleased to say that we’ve been gaining new members throughout the summer, but not enough to make up for a drop in travel insurance and Mountain Training applications.

However, as this graphic shows, we’re heading in the right direction. Membership numbers change over the course of the year due to seasonal trends and dates for club member renewals.

Month-on-month individual membership

Does the BMC have any plans to increase membership?

We’ve got some exciting plans to increase BMC membership, especially to new indoor climbing members and new hill-walking members. The first stage of this is to make signing up for BMC membership as easy as it can be, and we’ve launched our new mobile-first membership sign up and have just launched a new U27 digital membership. 

We are developing new membership benefits for indoor climbers and hill walkers, and will be running campaigns throughout 2021 which we hope will both increase total membership numbers and increase our membership diversity to fully reflect all aspects of climbing, hill walking and mountaineering today. In line with our new BAME strategy, our membership campaigns will use a minimum of 15% representation from the BAME outdoor community.

What about social media?

We’ve been working hard to make sure our social media channels have been growing, which will put us in a great position when we start our 2021 membership campaigns. YouTube has had over 12 million views and has 42,300 subscribers. Our main Instagram is now at 37,000 and GB Climbing Instagram at 9,440. Facebook has had a surge to 88,546 and our main Twitter account is about to hit a milestone, as it’s at 39,500. Engagement is also up, especially on our Instagram stories which have seen engagement increase by 300%.

How can I support the BMC?

The best way to keep the BMC as a strong voice for all climbers, hill walkers and mountaineers is to tell all your outdoor friends about us. With our Direct Debit offer, the first year of BMC membership costs from £1.50 / month.

www.thebmc.co.uk/join
 

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