UKC have recently had a few news items on Climbing Companies putting something back into climbing access or charity. I think it a great and noble thing to celebrate in climbing, as we aren’t a giant industry like oil or banking. Instead we are a small, and far from rich industry that seems to have a real passion about our world. Now whilst UKC this time concentrated on the bigger companies supporting a variety of good causes with hard cash. It is also important to remember that many other companies help support climbing and mountaineering in a variety of ways other than providing hard cash, and even if its providing man power or equipment, this help is just as valid as cash.
In fact if you could do a cost benefit of the support of a variety of companies in North Wales where I am based the sheer size of donation to support non-profit making activities from school raffles, right the way through to BMC Crag cleaning days and better bolts campaigns means that the equivalent of thousands of pounds are donated to good causes from companies based in Llanberis alone.
Now I am not say that one type of donation is better than another, I just wanted to make a point and highlight that its not just the headline grabbing support that is important, and neither is this an exhaustive list of the support given in North Wales. Instead it is an overview of much of the work that I think these people and companies deserve a cap being doffed to!
So the North Wales role of honor (I apologise if I miss anyone out!)
V12 Outdoors & Joe Browns for constantly supporting every local raffle from schools, to BMC events and LLAMFF. Also added to this list should be The Beacon Climbing Centre, Ginger Cain, DMM, Surf-lines, Pete’s Eats, Ground Up
You can’t forget the local guides who offer there time for a whole variety of good causes like Mountain Rescue, a few of the more notable that I know in the Llanberis team are Bryn Williams who runs Dragon Mountain Skills and Rob Johnson who runs Expedition Guide offer days of there time to help rescue people on the Snowdon. Of course other companies support the rescue teams by allowing there employees to leave at a moments notice to respond to a rescue, this list is simply too big.
However people like Bryn have also helped re-equipping the Slate quarry’s along with many individual climbers. None have offer more support than Chris Parkin, who through his company G&C Parkin have helps to manage the bolt fund and the BMC better bolts campaign. Similarly Chris has also got support from Total Access for some equipment for the North Wales Bolt Fund.
Even the big companies like Plas Y brenin support BMC events by letting its workers have paid time to organise them. This year they let Mike Raine have 5 paid days to organise the Tremadog Festival. So next time you at the crag complaining about the Brenin using it, remember because of their support there is less vegetation and more climbable routes! Similarly they also support the RSPB at South Stack helping them get a CCTV camera into position to monitor the bird life.
Anyway that’s just the tip of the Iceberg of what climbers and climbing companies are doing in Llanberis to support a whole array of good causes. I shudder to think how many thing we support as climbers throughout the UK, so don’t just thank the big companies making cash donations, remember the small ones are just as involved at the grass roots of our sport!
