A Message from the Chair: A New Chapter

Dear fellow RAFMA member,

I wanted to take a quick moment to write to you all and introduce myself. I took over as the latest Chair of RAFMA over the summer, and I’m conscious that unless you keep a very eagle-eyed view on the committee page of the website (or you’re on the committee itself) that change might have passed you by!

I’d like to start by saying that I’m enormously honoured to have the opportunity to hold this important position at the helm of an organisation that means a lot to me and has guided me personally through much of my own mountaineering career. And I’m sure you all feel the same way about ours, the oldest, and clearly the best, of the service mountaineering associations! I will do my very best to lead it through the next few years, preserving its traditions and ethos, and embracing the opportunities in front of us.

And speaking of opportunities, I’m really excited about what we have in store for RAFMA in the near future. I’ve been handed an organisation that, whilst facing some headwinds (as most do in the current financial climate), is nonetheless in a really good shape, with an active and dedicated committee and a passionate and enthusiastic membership. 2025 holds a great programme of meets in store, with weekends planned up and down the country. There is a jam packed exped programme across a variety of mountaineering disciplines, and the climbing team have lofty ambitions for the festival of climbing, RAF Champs, inter-services and (new for this year) the European Military Championships. There really is something on offer for everyone, and if I had one message it would be just to get involved! It’s as simple as that really. RAFMA is a membership led organisation; it’s a community, and communities only work with people and participation. So, sign up for a meet, join an exped, try out for the climbing team, come out and get involved, whatever your interest – I’m sure you’ll be glad you did.

Crucially though, the “get involved” message extends beyond just taking part in mountaineering activity. Whilst I’m keen for all our members to take the opportunities on offer, we really do also need people to give back to the association where they can as well. It’s the implicit bargain in the mountaineering world and is how so many of the worlds greatest (and more mediocre!) mountaineers built their own experience and skill by learning from each other. So, whether it’s by leading a group on a meet, acting as meet OiC or Supervisor, organising an exped or taking on a committee role, please have a think about how you too can give back a little to RAFMA and your community.

Lastly, I’d just like to draw your attention to the AGM and Annual Dinner at the end of this month. This is a great opportunity to get involved in the running of RAFMA by hearing more detail about our plans for 2025 and voting on the proposals put forward. The icing on the cake of course is that you can pair this with two glorious days in the Cumbrian sunshine and a fantastic meal with your RAFMA friends. Sign up closes at midnight on Thursday though, so don’t delay!

Yours,

Mark

Chair

P.S. I’m always keen to hear feedback direct from RAFMA members. We’ll be introducing a more structured approach to this in the near future, but please feel free to email me at any time with your thoughts, concerns, ideas etc. mountaineering.chair@rafsports.org.uk