[L]ast week, Rory Stewart MP visited the stunning new base of the Mountain Heritage Trust, located at the foot of Blencathra, to check out the centre’s facilities.
The Mountain Heritage Trust (MHT) was founded in 2000 to record and preserve Britain’s rich heritage in the fields of climbing, mountaineering and mountain culture. Second to none in terms of breadth, Britain has a proud legacy in the Alps, the Himalaya and the other great mountain ranges as well as closer to home on British rock.
Pioneers in techniques from the earliest days, Britain’s climbers and mountaineers have also led the way in preservation and conservation of traditions, culture and mountain heritage. The Trust’s governing body – its Patrons include Joe Brown and Sir Chris Bonington – all firmly believe that mountain heritage matters now, and for the future.
Rory was influential in the MHT finding their new base, which sees them working collaboratively with the Field Studies Council at the Blencathra Centre on one of Britain’s iconic mountains and he was delighted to see the progress they have made since relocating to the site in early 2017.
Rory was given a tour of the archives by Trust Chairman Jeff Ford, Collections Manager, Kelda Roe, Head of Blencathra Field Studies Centre, Tim Foster, Award winning film-maker, Terry Abraham, and renowned climber Sir Chris Bonington – whose own material is being archived by the Trust’s
Collections.
Rory, himself a keen walker of the world’s mountain ranges, was fascinated by the volume of material that the Trust has acquired and archived, and declared it to be one of Cumbria’s treasure troves of knowledge. He said: “It has been a great education to see the wealth of material that is testament to Britain’s enduring love affair with mountains across the globe, not only here at home; and I can see that this is a collection of great value and resonance to climbers of all ages and backgrounds. That it is right here in the heart of Cumbria is extraordinary, and I would love to see it reach a wider audience.”
For more information about the Trust, please visit: www.mountain-heritage.org
