In reply to simondgee:
Yes .... sadly the Trust has had to close and their sole permanent staff member has been furloughed for at least the next 6 weeks. As a charitable arm of the BMC its sad to see that they have suspended all funding forthwith, unless their own financial situation is to improve. Given the BMC are forecasting a deficit of up to £400k in their own finances for 2021 the future for the MHT looks bleak unless financing can be sought from elsewhere. The Trust will in fact face permanent closure if alternative funding isn't found by November at the latest.
The grant funding provided by the BMC (£30k pa) paid for a staff member and contributed a little towards running costs etc. Essentially everything else the Trust achieves is done by a group of Trustees and volunteers who give a ton of their time for free and, contrary to popular belief do not have any expenses paid by the BMC. I don't think that the funding is particularly large given the role the Trust plays in preserving the heritage collections bequeathed to the nation by some of the greatest climbers and mountaineers the country has produced. Perhaps more BMC members need to speak out and tell the national body of the sport that heritage matters.
Particularly sad to have had their funding removed in the same week that one of their founding Patrons, Joe Brown, passed away.
