Affiliating your club with the BMC is a straightforward process and you and your members gain many benefits from doing so.
Last update: June 2023
As a BMC-affiliated club you can access many benefits, including:
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Combined Liability Insurance - all club members, whose names and addresses we hold, benefit from £15 million Combined Liability Insurance world-wide. (For members who are resident in the Republic of Ireland, the total limit for Public Liability is £10m)
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Access to the BMC Club Training Workshops organised specifically for members of BMC affiliated clubs
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Access to specialist advice from BMC staff and the volunteers on the Specialist Committees, such as through the Club Guidance Notes
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Access to BMC Mountain Huts through the BMC reciprocal arrangement scheme where you may advertise your club hut on the BMC hut list, and make use of other affiliated club huts for club meets
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Access to the BMC National Huts based at the Roaches, Glencoe and on Skye
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Annual Summit Magazine sent out in the Spring for all members you provide names and addresses for. The remaining issues can be downloaded to your smartphone or tablet through our Summit app using your membership number and email address
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Access to BMC Travel and Activity Insurance which is a specialist policy designed for those participating in mountaineering activities – it’s the most comprehensive travel and activity insurance around
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BMC Areas offer you and club members the opportunity to take an active part in the work of the BMC by attending area meetings and exercising your right to discuss and vote on issues raised
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Discounts in the BMC Online Shop, at over 700 retailers, on the Reciprocal Rights card for Alpine Huts, and on products and services from other providers
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Access to Mountain Leader training registration (such as Mountain Leader Award, Rock Climbing Instructor Award, Hill& Moorland Leader Award), and expert advice from BMC specialist officers
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Facility to claim back club fees for any club member affiliated via more than one club
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BMC family – be part of an organisation that represents your interests, fights your corner and is there for you when you need help and advice
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There is more on the benefits of affiliating your club to the BMC here
The Process
Club membership runs from 1 January each year through to the 31 December. For student clubs membership runs from 1 October to 30 September. However, a club can apply for membership of the BMC at any time of the year.
The process for applying for membership and accessing the benefits listed above is very straightforward and is as follows:
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Club to complete the application form in the New Club Pack
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Club to send the application form with the required documentation to the BMC office along with payment for your members
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The application will be assessed in the BMC office
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The club will be contacted with the decision.
The cost
The only cost for affiliation to the BMC is the individual membership payments for each member, there are no additional fees to be paid. The 2023 BMC fees for each Club Member are:
Adult - £23.90
Student - £19.75
Discounted rate - £17.70 (for Under 18's, unemployed, or furloughed members)
For any new members joining from 1 July 2023 the fee for the remainder of the year is £11.95
Should a club member wish to upgrade their club membership to include all the benefits of Individual membership it will only cost an additional £17.95.
Additional documents
Some additional documents are required to be submitted when you apply for membership. Below are short descriptions of what is required for each document.
Governing Document (i.e. Constitution)
The Club Constitution is the usual governing document for most sports clubs. It explains how the club will be run, what the membership levels are, what officer positions there’ll be on the committee (i.e. President, Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Meets Secretary etc.), the procedures for an AGM (Annual General Meeting) including voting arrangements, how the finances of the club will be managed etc. Constitutions are also required by many people who provide funding for clubs.
The BMC has two template constitutions that clubs are welcome to use to produce their own constitution.
The first is for adult clubs where all members have voting rights at an AGM, including voting on committee positions, and a template is available here.
The second is for clubs where not all members have voting rights and is particularly suitable for clubs aimed at young people (such as "Youth Clubs") where most of the members are under 18 years old. A template is available here.
If you require more support in producing a constitution for your club then please contact Jane Thompson (Club Development Manager).
For clubs that are set up as a charity, company limited by guarantee, charitable incorporated organisation etc. their own governing document will need to be submitted rather than a constitution as above.
Club Rules
These are rules that don’t naturally sit within the formality of a constitution. For example, your club may have rules for booking out items of club equipment, for booking a place on a club meet, about acceptable behaviour from club members or for reserving a bed in the club hut.
More advice and support in affiliating your club can be gained from the BMC office (office@thebmc.co.uk, 0161 445 6111).
You may also find these links useful
- Club Guidance Notes
- Student Clubs Officers' Handbook
DOWNLOAD the New Club Pack
DOWNLOAD the Application Form (in Word)
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