The Grand Plan
“There was nowhere to go but everywhere, so just keep on rolling under the stars” - Jack Kerouac, On the Road
For those of you that have joined a City Mountaineering trip with me (Stuart), you're likely to have heard my grand plan for City Mountaineering.
The ultimate aim has always been to make the UK mountains accessible for all, in an affordable and environmentally friendly way. An individual's demographic alignment should not be a determining factor for visiting our wonderful mountain environment.
The current "solo traveller" excursions will continue and there will always be some amazing mountain adventures for anyone to join with City Mountaineering.
However, the plan has always been to open up mountain trips to those people who would have never considered the UK mountains as a destination, or maybe could not afford it.
There are huge numbers of people in London who work incredibly hard simply just to pay their rent and feed themselves.
There are huge numbers of people in London that barely leave the housing estate in which they live, let alone the borough and certainly not London itself.
If you've been to the mountains with City Mountaineering, you will understand the benefits - both physical and mental - that getting out of the crowded city and into the mountains, with a small group, provides.
For me, it's the biggest factor in keeping me [relatively] sane.
So, what is the grand plan?
In setting up City Mountaineering, there has always been a vision to enable access to the UK mountains for those less fortunate to do so. This will involve a lot of organisation and working with both the private and public sectors for both funding and access to people.
We are getting close!
Funding for this enterprise will begin with City Mountaineering and, hopefully, you! - The kind and generous people that join our trips.
We will then look at partnering with larger businesses in order to maintain funding to continue the service throughout the year.
The Start...
We are beginning the fund raising by selling City Mountaineering neck gaiters! With all proceeds being invested wholly in this enterprise. The amounts are small, but it'll hopefully get the process rolling, right?
So, who wants to buy a neck gaiter for just £15 and a warm fuzzy feeling, not just for your neck, but in the knowledge that you are helping someone, less fortunate than you, spend a weekend in the wonderful UK mountains?
(model pictured: my best mate, Sully)
Photos For Sale
I am not a professional photographer and all photos I take are now limited to my iPhone. However, I will be selling photo prints from the many mountain adventures I've been over the past 20-years (but only when I deem a photo worthy of printing). Again, with all proceeds going to this enterprise.
Have you seen a photo that you particularly like and would like to purchase? Let me know and I'll get the full resolution image to the printers! (for a fee, of course!)
Request any photo from today, but stock photos will be on sale from Friday 06 December and communicated via the weekly email and on Facebook
How can you help?
Other than buying a neck gaiter, or bidding for a photo, of course :)
Over the past four years we've had so much fun with people from all walks of London life - people from different backgrounds, countries, professions.
Combined, we must have a huge network of contacts!
Would your employer (or, do you know of an employer) be interested in partnering with City Mountaineering? We could offer mountain trips for business teams, auction items, talks/presentations in return for investment in this social enterprise.
Please get chatting at work, rally interest and get someone to contact City Mountaineering for further information in how we could work together.
Also, do you know a photo printer that could offer discounted photo printing for this endeavour?
Over the past 4-years I've taken the deliberate approach of staying below the wider-audience radar and simply relied on your word-of-mouth to raise awareness of City Mountaineering.
It's now time to spread the word far and wide!!
