Accreditation Programme
The ABC is commencing the consultation phase of the Accreditation Programme, which was announced during the2023 ABC conference.
The climbing industry has witnessed unprecedented growth in recent years, and as we continue to expand, it’s important that we collectively continue to demonstrate our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of safety..
Why an Accreditation Programme is needed
The industry has experienced a surge in popularity, attracting climbers of all skill levels to walls. Our most recent member survey indicates that visits have now exceeded pre-pandemic levels, with a further 14% increase in customer numbers anticipated in the next 12 months. While this growth is certainly welcomed, it brings with it various challenges, including the possibility of increased accident rates and greater scrutiny and attention as a result.
To address these challenges and ensure the industry continues to adhere to high standards, the introduction of an Accreditation Programme is of paramount importance. The programme’s core objective is to build on our existing guidance and guidelines, supporting the development of safer and more enjoyable experiences for all.
Moreover, the establishment of a recognised Accreditation Programme will enhance the industry’s credibility and reputation, and in turn attract prospective climbers.
Volunteering and learning more
If you are an ABC member and would like to know more about the Accreditation Programme, or are interested in sitting on a steering committee which will help define the areas of focus, please contact the ABC’s Accreditation manager, Nick, at [email protected]
WE’RE HIRING! EDI MANAGER
The ABC is recruiting for a part time Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Manager, a new Sport England and Development Through Challenge funded role.
The successful applicant will be working across the ABC to support the development and delivery of an EDI strategy and action plan.
The post holder will drive measurable change through ownership of, and accountability for, key EDI objectives across the ABC. They will also be responsible for monitoring and reporting against Sport England outcomes in this area.
While they will work with EDI specialists within partner organisations to build an ‘inclusion first’ mindset across the sector, they will also need to be able to work under their own initiative.
To apply, return the completed application form and your CV to [email protected] by October 3rd 2023.
Please note, this is an anonymous application process. Personal details will be removed from your application before it is viewed by the hiring committee.
The ABC is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, gender, gender identity, ability, religion/ belief, sexual orientation or age.
Safeguarding Seminar
Join us online on September 7th for the next talk in our 2023 Partners’ Seminar Series: “Safeguarding Our Climbers: Creating a safe climbing space for all”
During this webinar, we’ll explore creating safe spaces for climbers through insights from our expert panel, including Craig Chalmers of Children 1st, Catherine Hibbitt from Mountaineering Ireland, and Helen Murphy of the BMC.
Get to grips with the nuts and bolts of safeguarding, and explore responsibilities, legislation, risks and who is involved. Hear about safeguarding cultures, recognising concerns, and why the voice of children and young people is important.
Lastly, you’ll have the chance to engage in panel sessions about how to create safe environments and what strategies are needed to build a strong safeguarding culture at our climbing centres and beyond.
Everyone’s Welcome in Climbing
Is your climbing wall accessible? Could it be more so?
You may already have seen our ‘Everyone’s Welcome in Climbing’ document. If you attended our partners’ seminar on Climbing and Neurodiversity you’ll have heard it referenced.
The document lays out a series of steps that can be taken to increase accessibility and break down barriers to participation in climbing walls.
The document is broken down into Quick Wins, Longer Term solutions, and Good Practice Case Studies. At each stage, communication, provision, physical space, and most importantly – the people – are discussed and considered.
The Everyone’s Welcome in Climbing pack aims to provide an easy to access list of measures a wall can take to make more people feel welcome in their facility.
This means that whatever someone’s gender, size, race, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability or socio-economic background they will be able to enjoy indoor climbing and all it has to offer.
We strongly believe that this is not only the right thing to do, but that it will be good for business too if it encourages your whole community to participate.
We also understand that this pack likely won’t contain every answer to every participation barrier. Rather, we hope that this will provide a solid base to grow from.
Thank you to all who joined us and participated in the recent partners’ seminar on Climbing & Neurodiversity.
We received loads of great questions during the seminar and weren’t able to get to them all at the time. We have since collaborated on a question and answer document covering all of these outstanding questions.
At the bottom of the document there is also a list of resources which were shared by attendees in the chat during the seminar.
If you weren’t able to attend, you can still watch the seminar here.
We will be creating a similar document to answer the remaining questions from the Mountain Training Bouldering Qualification seminar. The recording for this will also be available soon.
Join us for the next instalment of our 2023 Partners’ Seminar Series. This one will be delivered by Mountain Training and hosted by Robert MacKenzie of Climb Scotland and will cover the content and pathway of Mountain Training’s upcoming bouldering qualification.
When? Thursday 4th May, 10am – 11:30am
Where? Zoom
No advance booking necessary, simply click on the ‘Join’ link below, or on any of our socials at 09:50 on the 4th. For those not able to make it live, the seminar will be recorded and available on YouTube.
Agenda
- Welcome
- Introduction to Guy Jarvis and Mountain Training
- Overview of the rationale behind the National Bouldering Wall Instructor (BWI) qualification
- A summary of the national consultation survey results
- Development pathways for instructors and coaches
Questions for Attendees
- What would you consider a useful job description for the BWI?
- What knowledge, skills, and behaviours would you find valuable in a BWI?
- How easily should the qualification be accessible?
- What advantages do you see for yourself, your business, staff, customers, or participants?
- Does the coaching scheme address your development needs?
- Do you foresee any issues?
If you have any questions about the seminar, or you’re wondering whether it’s right for you, please do get in touch with us or one of our partners.
We’re excited to announce the ABC’s upcoming Accreditation Scheme and with it the new, Sport England funded, role of Accreditation Manager who will be responsible for developing and piloting the programme.
The Accreditation Scheme is an important tool to support the industry in following good practice, maintaining high safety standards and striving for excellence to keep the sector and those participating in it safe and free to enjoy the sport of climbing.
This is a full time role combining desk-based research with site visits and audits. We anticipate that up to half of the working time will be on the road.
We are hiring!
The ABC is hiring for one Equality, Diversity & Inclusion specialist and two more general positions to join our voluntary board as Independent Board Directors.
To complement and build on the existing skills we have represented on our fantastic board, we are looking for people with some or all of the following interests (as we are hiring for two similar roles, each person need not fulfil the entire desired criteria).
- A strong interest in and experience with safety pertaining to the running of a climbing wall.
- Current experience of running or being involved in the running of an independent or small climbing wall.
- Experiencing with safeguarding children and vulnerable adults in a climbing or sporting environment.
- Interest in or experience with NICAS.
We particularly encourage applications from groups and communities currently underrepresented in climbing. All applicants must work at an ABC member wall.
The job descriptions and application forms can be found here;
Deadline: April 11th
EQUALITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
Deadline: April 6th
Please email your completed application form, along with your CV, to [email protected]. Questions about the available roles and the application process should also be sent to this email address.
Exhibitor Bookings now LIVE!
We are excited to announce that we are now taking exhibitor bookings for the 2023 Conference & AGM.
This year the conference will be focusing on a theme of Growth by exploring the challenges and opportunities faced by walls around staffing, safety, financing and gaining and retaining new audiences.
More information about exhibiting can be found here, and the booking form is available here.
Please note, spaces are allocated on a first come first served basis, and may be affected by the purchase of sponsorship packages, a couple of which are still available.
If you are interested in sponsorship, more information is available here and bookings are here.
Spaces highlighted in red and pink are no longer available as they have been reserved by sponsors & partners.
This floor plan is a working document and is subject to change.
Autobelay Safety
As you will be aware, the use of auto belay devices has grown in the last few years and accelerated during the pandemic. We have been seeing an increasing number of accidents on auto belay lines which are gaining the attention of H&S and Environmental Health.
We at the ABC, and our partners in the UK and beyond, have seen developing evidence that climbers (often but not exclusively experienced ones) are at risk of not clipping in on auto belays and causing themselves severe injury when they fail to do so.
We have collaborated with a number of key partners both here and in the US to create a consolidated set of new and specific guidelines for auto belay usage which you can download below. We feel it is important that walls roll out these upgraded guidelines as soon as possible.
