UKH

Snowdon – a New Approach?

On Sunday 8th March at 4pm a bi-lingual debate will be at LLAMFF about the current and future management of Snowdon.

Last summer the BMC produced a hard hitting and provocative article suggesting that “Snowdon wasn’t working” and that a long term vision and strategy for the future was required. The Snowdon Partnership - which is a newly formed group of representatives from organisations who manage the mountain - is now working towards creating such a vision and they are keen to hear your views – so this is an opportunity for recreational users to raise the issues that matter to them and to question some of the people and organisations involved. We all know the issues that people have strong feelings about when it comes to Snowdon, including: parking, congestion, erosion, charity events, overgrazing, climate change, litter, unnecessary and avoidable rescue call-outs, bus services, reconciling land use, conservation and recreation, conflict between recreational user groups, fences, waymarkers, footpath work, lack of resources etc

Intended to be light hearted but with some serious issues, this debate will be a “question time” type format chaired by Dei Tomos
local radio and TV presenter and an active hill-goer and with a panel of four local “experts”.

If you have a view on how Snowdon should be managed then come along and have your say. If you have specific questions you wish to raise then please e-mail them to snowdondebate@llamff.co.uk or #SnowdonDebate on twitter to the BMC or LLAMFF and the chair will choose the pick of the bunch to be debated on the day. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions directly from the floor.

Chair - Dei Tomos
A radio presenter for BBC Radio Cymru. Keen interest in the environment and mountains. Being local to Nant Peris, and never afraid to be outspoken, his views on (and of) the mountains of Eryri are worth listening to as well as being literally worth seeing! He is also the chairman of Llanberis Community Council.

Panel Members

Ray Wood – Llanberis based photographer and filmmaker, member of North Snowdonia Local Access Forum, member of the BMC’s Access Management Group and a director of Snowdonia Active . A keen climber and mountain biker with a passion for the environment he has strong views on the way Snowdon is managed and portrayed.

Gareth Roberts
A Trustee of Snowdonia Society, trained as an art historian, geographer and planner, Gareth has worked with the Snowdonia National Park Authority and Countryside Council for Wales. Heavily involved with implementing the Countryside and Rights of Way Act in its early days, he is also a Director of the Landscape Research Group, Ltd. and supports the work of charitable organisations involved in the conservation and enhancement of cultural landscapes internationally.

Helen Pye
Warden for Snowdonia National Park Authority with responsibility for Snowdon. She has literally seen it all in her day job on Snowdon and has the (occasionally) unenviable job of ensuring the mountain is protected from the hordes while making sure the hordes are (sometimes) protected from the mountain.

Elfyn Jones
The BMC’s Access & Conservation Officer in Wales – representing the views of the BMC’s members but also a past land manager for the National Trust and a previous National Park Warden. Has strong views on path restoration and is also an active member and past chair of Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team.