Welcome to the home page for the club promotion campaign "Clubs Are Open"

"Clubs Are Open" is a campaign, headed by the BMC Clubs' Committee, to support clubs in recruiting new members now that we can all head back out to the hills and crags on club meets.

The programme includes support, guidance, training and promotion to help clubs to bounce back from impact of the covid-restrictions.

The face of the campaign that potential members will see is called #FindYourAdventure, and this can be viewed here.

This page is still in the process of being populated, and additional content will continue to be added over time.
Last update: 18/5/2022

Webinars

On 4 May 2021 the first "Clubs Are Open" webinar was held.

• You can view a recording of the webinar by clicking here.
• You can download a copy of the presentation by clicking here.  The presentation slides include notes from the breakout rooms.

Webinare 2: 9 June 2021

• You can view a recording of the webinar by clicking here.
• You can download a copy of the presentation by clicking here.  The presentation slides include notes from the breakout rooms.

Webinar 3: 7 September 2021

• You can view a recording of the webinar by clicking here.
• You can download a copy of the presentation by clicking here.

Webinar 4: 7 October 2021

• Update on progress of the campaign
• Tips for engaging with women
• Tips for engaging with different ethnic groups
• You can view a recording of the webinar by clicking here.

Webinar 5: 9 November 2021

• ​Options for different electronic systems for clubs to use when collecting money from members, including Direct Debit for annual club subscriptions.
• Click here to access the recording and downloads from the webinar

Click here for details of future webinars

Next Steps For All Clubs

Now is the time to start ...

• Review the content about your club that is held on the BMC Club Listings (www.thebmc.co.uk/organisations/clubs), and if you have any changes email the text to clonagh@thebmc.co.uk.  Think about how the description of your club would read to someone who has never been a member of a club before, and/or to someone who is fairly new to walking / climbing / mountaineering.
• Undertake a similar review for the content that is on your own club website, or that is on the “About” section of your Facebook page etc.
• (If not already started) have discussions with the rest of your committee members to identify the aims for your club – how many new members would your club be targeting? are the other committee members supportive? are there other members in the club who would be willing to support or mentor new members (particularly if they are novices)? 

Self Assessment Checklist

We've pulled together a self-assessment "checklist" to help clubs see how ready they are to "open up" for new members. Why not download it HERE and put together an action plan? The checklist is a beta version at the moment, so any feedback / additions would also be welcome. 

E-booklet for potential members

This booklet is for clubs to use with potential members who may want to find out more about clubs and what they do.  The booklet will be updated over time, but you can always find the most up-to-date version HERE.

Club Registration

Are you ready to register your club to work on the Clubs Are Open / #FindYourAdventure campaign?

If yes, then click here to register.  You will then be contacted with more support to help to promote your club.

Relevant Training Opportunities

• The Training Days for Committee Members programme runs at different venues across England & Wales throughout Autumn-Spring.  These sessions are free to attend and cover a range of topics in how to run a club.  For more details click here.

• The BMC runs a series of "How to Train Novice Members in Your Club" weekends at Plas y Brenin.  The weekends are subsidised by a grant from Sport England so are really great value!  Aimed at competent walkers, climbers and scramblers, these weekends provide lots of useful information when working with novices in your club.  The dates for late 2022 are TBC.  Accommodation, instruction and some meals included in the price.  More details are at www.thebmc.co.uk/training-novice-club-members.

• If you have new members joining your club and you are struggling with capacity to support them properly in developing their skills then direct them to the BMC Clubs Training Essentials programme which has one-day courses running across England and Wales

Digital Marketing

Need help with the digital-side of promoting your club?  There are two great sources of support for clubs through the Digital Marketing Hub and either the Sport England Club Matters or Sport Wales Club Solutions / Atebion Clwb programmes.

• The “Digital Marketing Hub” is a new programme, funded by Sport England, to help volunteers in sports clubs improve skills in digital marketing.  The Digital Marketing Hub will be run by CIMSPA (Chartered Institute of Sport and Physical Activity) and will include online courses, webinars and resources.  The programme will be going live in the autumn but you can register now to be notified for more information when it goes live.  Click here to register your interest or click here for more information about the Hub on the Sport England website.

• There is information and advice about using digital marketing in a club on the Sport England Club Matters website and on the Sport Wales Club Solutions / Atebion Clwb website

Photographs

We are looking at producing literature that can be utilised by all clubs to help recruit members, so we need photos that embody what it means to belong to a club. This is your opportunity to get images of your club, doing what you love, shared at a national level. Images depicting diversity and community in climbing and hillwalking are of particular interest. Winning photos will be attributed to their club for free advertising on the Clubs are Open resources and BMC social media. 

Please send your photos to clubs@thebmc.co.uk with the following information

- Your name
- Your club name
- Caption (include location, if relevant)
- State whether permission is granted by the image subjects or their legal guardians, and the photographer. 

More content coming soon......

We’re making it easy for you to connect with friendly climbing and walking clubs in your area. Fast friends and fun-filled weekends guaranteed. Take a look at our latest project: Find Your Adventure. 

Take the next step

📧 Sign up for our regular Find Your Adventure email

We’ll send you an email every Monday for six weeks, taking you from finding a club, to your first meetup and even weekend away.

Find Your Adventure

📌 Locate a friendly club near you and get started

Can't wait?

Check out the articles in this six-part series:

🥾 It's time to find your adventure

⛰️ Let's find you a club to join

🥾 Your first visit

⛰️ Learning and skills

🥾 Ready to head to the mountains

⛰️ Start your adventure

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