The directors present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2021.
The principal activity of the company is to advance for the public benefit of education and training, primarily in Wales, the skills required for leading and instructing safe hill, mountain, moorland and countryside walking and indoor climbing, rock climbing and other associated activities practised in cliff and mountain environments and to offer advice on matters of training and safety.
During the year the directors and secretary served as follows:
Directors:
Anne Vowles Chair
Mike Rosser Director (retired June 2021 AGM)
David Jones Treasurer
Andy Newton Director (retired June 2021 AGM)
Allan Gibbs Director
Andy Bevan Director (appointed June 2021 AGM)
Bryn Williams Director (appointed June 2021 AGM)
Secretary:
Simon Patton
A Management Board of members drawn from a wide range of interested organisations advises the directors on all aspects of the company's activities. The directors and the Management Board have met regularly during the year. The Management Board was constituted as follows:
Organisation Members
Andy Meek Association of Heads of Outdoor Education Centres
Andy Newton Association of Mountaineering Instructors
Ross Worthington British Association of International Mountain Leaders
Matthew Woodfield British Mountaineering Council Cymru
Phil George British Mountain Guides
Steph Price Duke of Edinburgh's Award Cymru
Gill Beazley Girlguiding Cymru
Tim Radford North Wales Mountain Rescue Association
Helen Barnard Plas-y-Brenin (Mountain Training Trust)
Arwel Eilas Outdoor Education Advisors Panel for Wales
Angela Charlton Ramblers Cymru
Wyn Owen Scouts Cymru
Observers/Advisors
Vacant ABC TT
James McHaffie British Mountaineering Council
Will Kilner Independent
Vacant Institute of Outdoor Learning
Chris Forrest Joint Services Mountain Training Centres
John Cousins Mountain Training UK
Joe Roberts Natural Resources Wales
Simon Jones Y Bartneriaeth Awyr Agored/ The Outdoor Partnership
Paul Donovan Wales Activity Tourism Organisation
Review of Progress and Achievements
It has been a challenging year which has had a significant impact on our ability to make progress on our strategic plan, Learn Lead Inspire. Lockdowns and movement restrictions have resulted in a large reduction in both scheme registrations and course participation, our two key income streams. Registration figures are down 41% and course attendance figures are down 54% when compared to pre-pandemic years. A number of difficult decisions had to be made to reduce expenditure which included a suspension of our bursary which has benefitted many young people in the two years it has been operating.
Recent figures are very encouraging as both registration and course places have revealed a significant rebound. May’s figures for course attendance are the highest observed in four years.
SUCCESSES AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Walking Scheme Review
Skills schemes
Several important developments to our Skills Scheme delivery model have now been agreed and fully implemented. These changes are essential to ensure that future participation in our personal skills schemes for hillwalking, mountain walking and rock climbing is simple and unhindered. This will ensure that participation at a grass roots level increases year on year.
Summary of Skills scheme developments introduced in May 2021:
Minimum age lowered to 10yrs old for Hill and Mountain Skills and Rock Skills Introduction (12yrs for Rock Skills intermediate and 14yrs for Learn to Lead)
Registration no longer required
Free lifelong access to Dlog. New guidance for participants to connect with their CMS account is available here
Additional staff can be chosen by the provider/tutor
Course fee charged to provider to recover costs, £6 Rock Skills Intro, £10 for all other courses.
Mountain Training Cymru will now accept skills scheme provider applications at any time of the year. Previously, recruitment only took place once a year.
Skills scheme candidate packs sent direct to provider for issue to participants
Bulk registration for providers has been enabled
New online resources for skills scheme providers and tutors.
Expedition Skills Module
Work has continued on the development of a replacement to the Expedition Skills Module. At the most recent MTUKI meeting, our proposal for a new entry level, stand alone module was agreed. The delivery model includes an online training package and an 8 hour (1 day) face to face practical assessment. A qualified Camping Leader will be able to operate in variety of campsites, all with vehicular access, such as land with no facilities or commercial campsites offering a range of facilities.
A qualified Camping Leader holding a Mountain Training walking leadership qualification can operate in terrain within the scope of that scheme. The scheme does not cover the supervision of groups away from the campsite.
Welsh language resources
A5 flyers for our walking and climbing scheme pathways have been produced. A5 promotional flyers for the skills schemes are now available.
Provider recruitment
Early in the pandemic, the Board took the decision to postpone recruitment to help provide protection for the businesses of our current team of providers, many of whom are sole traders. At our most recent Board meeting in May 2021, the Directors chose to resume work on this development, see point 6 above. This will enable many types of organisations to apply to become skills scheme providers at a time when it is convenient to them.
Simon Patton
Executive Officer Mountain Training Cymru
Mountain Training Cymru Board Limited is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Siabod Cottage, Capel Curig, Conwy, LL24 0ES.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling , which is the functional currency of the company. Monetary a mounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
Income and expenses are included in the financial statements as they become receivable or due.
Expenses include VAT where applicable as the company cannot reclaim it.
The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is credited or charged to surplus or deficit .
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Financial liabilities and equity instruments are classified according to the substance of the contractual arrangements entered into. An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of the company after deducting all of its liabilities.
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors, bank loans, loans from fellow group companies and preference shares that are classified as debt, are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future paymen ts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of business from suppliers. A m ounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
In the application of the company’s accounting policies, the directors are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
The average monthly number of persons (including directors) employed by the company during the year was 0.
The company is limited by guarantee, not having a share capital and consequently the liability of members is limited, subject to an undertaking by each member to contribute to the net assets or liabilities of the company on winding up such amounts as may be required not exceeding £1.