Big names: 6 BMC ex-Presidents, 2 Patrons and our best sport climber support Option A in BMC vote

Posted by Alex Messenger on 31/05/2018
Ex-BMC President Rehan Siddiqui wants to build a better BMC.

We need your help to build a better BMC. We're asking all our members to vote in a new constitution from two options. And now, six BMC ex-Presidents, two Patrons and Britain's best sport climber have come together to collectively support Option A.

This year, we’re asking members to vote on some important changes to our constitution (our Articles of Association: the legal document that sets out what the BMC does and how it operates). These changes stem from the organisational review, and have been developed by the BMC’s National Council in consultation with membership as the best way forward for the organisation.

There are two options: Option A is formally recommended by the BMC’s National Council (supported by the Organisational Review Group, Board of Directors and staff) as we believe it will build a better BMC, representing all climbers, hill walkers and mountaineers, that will work collaboratively and transparently to ensure the best outcomes for all members. Option B has been developed by a small group of BMC members as their alternative.

Now, nine big names in British climbing and mountaineering have come together to issue the following statement in support of Option A:

“For over 150 years Britain has been at the forefront of rock climbing, mountaineering and hill walking worldwide. However for all of that time the methods, ethics and accepted practices of the sport have been constantly evolving and many new disciplines have been added.

The BMC has been our nationally-recognised umbrella organisation for half of that period, but it has also evolved and will need to evolve further to remain relevant to the ever-changing demographic of our membership.

Option A provides a continuation of this evolutionary process, is forward looking and in our view is packed with safeguards to protect the interests of our members, and actually improves the democratic process.

Option B attempts to maintain a status quo. We can see its attraction, but believe it will become unworkable in a changing world and would lead to stagnation and the likely fragmentation of the BMC.

It is essential that the BMC gets back on track with its work for members and for us, Option A is the way forward. Should a new constitution not be agreed in June the organisation will face a continued period of uncertainty and disruption which will be of little benefit to anyone.”

Signed by:

Chris Bonington
BMC President 1988-1991

Dave Musgrove
BMC President 2002-2003

Charles Clarke
BMC President 2006-2009

Rab Carrington
BMC President 2009-2012

Scott Titt
BMC President 2012-2015

Rehan Siddiqui
BMC President 2015-2017

Steve McClure
BMC Ambassador

Mick Fowler
BMC Patron

Pat Littlejohn
BMC Patron

This is an article promoting Option A. The recommended option from the BMC National Council (supported by the Organisational Review Group, BMC Board of Directors and BMC staff) and Mountain Training.

Please do vote in our upcoming AGM
We need 75% of the votes to be in favour of one option in order to adopt a new constitution. If you're a BMC member, please check for an email from ERS for your personal URL to vote. It's quick, simple and only takes a minute. If you haven't received an email, please fill in the form here: https://intouch.thebmc.co.uk/bmc-agm/
 


Your AGM: Thanks for your vote!

This year's historic AGM had a record voting turnout, with 6,796 of those votes being made online. We want to thank everyone for having their say and helping to shape the future of the BMC. 

READ THE FULL REPORT: The BMC's historic 2018 AGM

Detailed info on the BMC AGM 2018

Find out more about the last AGM. It's a complicated topic, so start with this one:

READ: It's your BMC, and we need your vote

We were asking our members to vote on some significant changes to the BMC's constitution. Part of the discussion was the relationship between the BMC and Sport England. 

READ: What are Sport England Tier 3 and Tier 1 relationships?

There were two constitutions to vote for: Proposal A (as recommended by National Council) and Proposal B, proposed by a group of members. To learn more about the two proposals, you can read a detailed comparison written by BMC honorary solictor Martin Wragg.

READ: A comparison of alternative constitutions

How did the recommendations get decided? Read more about the process that lead to this stage, including the reports from the Organisational Review and more. 

READ: BMC Organisational Review reports

Watch the Open Forum debate

We held a debate in Manchester on 15 May for both options to be discussed. You can watch the livestream here:


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