The national representative body for England and Wales, the British Mountaineering Council (BMC), has had a rocky few years during which it was forced to abort an attempted rebrand under the name Climb Britain, and then endured a series of embarrassing financial revelations which appeared to some to even threaten the very existence of the organisation.
Since the appointment of new CEO Paul Ratcliffe at the end of 2023, however, there have been some reasons for hope for many members and employees of the BMC due to his air of openness and competence, and now the organisation has announced a ‘rebrand’ that it hopes will clear up persistent questions around its purpose and remit that have dogged it in recent years. In a press release, the BMC said that “the decision to review its purpose, mission, vision, and values follows a study conducted by the BMC in September 2022, in which over 5000 people were polled on their relationship with the outdoors. Results revealed that only 23% of respondents, all of whom had participated in at least one BMC activity in the last 12 months, had heard of the organisation and were able to identify with its work. A rise in the number of individuals participating in multiple BMC disciplines, an average of 4.8 activities per respondent, further highlighted the need for a shift in the BMC’s position.”
Fresh BMC branding at a recent indoor event
The main point of contention in recent times has been the BMC’s role as governing body for competitive indoor climbing, and how it juggles this responsibility with its traditional role in representing the interests of hillwalkers, climbers and mountaineers. Many traditionalists have been against the idea of the BMC representing indoor climbing, while others argue that much of the growth in participation has been via indoor climbing walls. The new rebrand attempts to provide an umbrella for all aspects of the BMC’s activities, from access to local climbing crags to the running of the UK’s competitive climbing team – and everything in between – and the ‘positioning statement’ that has been chosen is ‘Adventure. Community. Action. For Every Hill Walker, Climber, And Mountaineer.’
Speaking on resetting the BMC’s strategic position, a spokesman from the agency tasked with conducting the survey and coming up with the rebrand said: “The BMC is a phenomenal organisation. Whilst it’s well known and respected by those who have been active in the mountains and climbing for a long time, it is much less recognised by those new to this world, particularly with the influx of people enjoying the outdoors after the pandemic.
“The diversity of actions and initiatives the BMC pursues is one of the organisation’s many strengths. It has, however, also been one of its biggest communication challenges to date, with it difficult to clearly state a ‘single minded’ proposition that covers everything, doesn’t exclude anyone, and can be repeated at scale.”
Will the new mission statement and branding have the required effect? Gavin Finch, Chief Commercial Officer of the BMC thinks so: “As we grow towards 100,000 members it’s important that we strengthen our voice and shout about the work that we so passionately deliver, from campaigning for freedom of access and the right to roam, to funding conservation projects and providing world-class training to ensure that every individual’s experience in the outdoors is as good as it can be.”
More info: www.thebmc.co.uk