Mountain Training Cymru

About us

Mountain Training Cymru’s (MTC) role is to provide skills training and qualification schemes for individuals, leaders, instructors and coaches of groups participating in mountaineering and related activities, to offer advice and promote good practice among the mountaineering community within Wales.

Mountain Training Cymru along with Mountain Training England (MTE), Mountain Training Scotland (MTS) and Mountain Training Board Ireland (MTBI) is a full member of Mountain Training UK & Ireland.

Mountain Training Cymru is a registered company and currently has eight voluntary company directors which make up the board. Additionally, Mountain Training Cymru has a members’ council which meets three times a year to help shape the strategic direction of the organisation and acts as a forum among the hill walking, climbing and mountaineering community in Wales with particular interest in leadership activities.

Staff team

Simon Patton

Executive Officer

Phone: 01690 720272

Email: simon@mountain-training.org

Andy Cummings

Moderator

Council of members

Members (voting)

Mountain Training Cymru advisors:

Directors

Andy Newton (Chair)

Andy moved to Snowdonia to undertake a teaching qualification at UCNW Bangor after having completed a degree in Applied Biology at Liverpool Polytechnic, and it was while first at college that he had graduated from enthusiastic hill walker to fully committed climber and mountaineer. While completing his instructional and leadership qualifications to the highest level, Andy taught at Cheshire Education Authority’s Nelson Centre on Anglesey until 1991. In the thirty years plus since then he has worked as a freelance instructor/trainer and assessor/technical consultant throughout Wales and other areas of the UK.

Andy continues to be an active climber; as happy helping others and passing on his knowledge, as he is delving in uncharted territory searching for new routes. He has enjoyed being involved with guidebook writing, both for rock and winter climbing, and is the Chair of the BMC’s Training, Youth and Walls Committee

and was formerly the Secretary and officer for MLTW (as MTC was known at that time). Andy has also Chaired the BMC’s Committee for Wales and is currently a director of Snowdonia Active.

He is an approved technical legal expert, an inspector for adventure activities licensing and a vastly experienced walking and climbing qualification course director and provider. Andy’s experience of climbing both at home and worldwide has helped to define his attitude to the potential for sustainable adventure activities here in Wales and the need for diversity in the pool of climbing and mountaineering leaders and instructors.

In 2019 Andy was honoured by the BMC with the George Band Award for exceptional voluntary contribution to mountaineering.

Monique Stephens (Treasurer)

Andy Bevan

Andy is a Senior Counter Terrorism and Law Enforcement Consultant and former Detective Chief Superintendent with significant experience of senior leadership & command in the UK and abroad. Andy has also worked on either a voluntary or part time basis as an outdoor instructor since 1996; with experience of guiding, coaching and teaching adults and children in outdoor activities both in the UK and abroad.

He retired from public service in a senior role in Counter Terrorism Policing at New Scotland Yard, London after 33 years in both the Army and Police. He now uses his leadership skills to develop others in the outdoors.

Andy is a Summer & Winter Mountain Leader, Rock Climbing Instructor, Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Assessor and International Mountain Leader. He is also the holder of the British Cycling Mountain Bike Leader and Ride Leader 1 & 2 qualifications.

As well as experience of walking, climbing and mountaineering in the UK, Alps, Pyrenees. Himalaya, Africa, Patagonia and Arctic Norway, Andy is a keen off piste skier and ski mountaineer with extensive experience of back country skiing in North America and Europe. He is also a keen mountain biker, road and track cyclist.

Emily Scott

Bryn Williams

Growing up in the Snowdonia National Park I made good use of the surrounding hills and built up a wealth of experience as a hill walker and climber. As a teenager I made the decision to work towards being a mountaineering instructor and progressed through the Mountain Training qualification structure to eventually reach the top qualifications the Winter Mountaineering & Climbing Instructor and International Mountain Leader.

I have worked full time in the mountaineering sector both privately and freelance since 1998. During this time, I have worked for a huge number of organisations around the country including many Local Education Authority outdoor centres, private mountaineering companies and film & TV safety work.

For nearly 10 years I worked as the Executive Officer for Mountain Training where I was responsible for managing the national qualification system and quality assuring the network of course providers.

Recently I have been appointed as a board member for Mountain Training Cymru as a non-executive director. For a number of years, I worked as an instructor for the National Mountain Centre, Plas Y Brenin in North Wales, delivering a range of mountaineering skills and qualification courses.

The main proportion of the work focusses towards leadership and instructional courses in hill walking, rock climbing and mountaineering. Additionally I work as a Technical Advisor for a number of organisations around the UK delivering advice on matters of safety, training and staff competency.

For the last 20 years I have been a volunteer member of the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team, the busiest Mountain Rescue team in the UK which responds to over 200 rescues each year on Snowdon.

Danielle Brackenridge

By day, I’m a scientist. I deliver presentations to doctors and nurses, ensuring they understand important patient safety when it comes to prescription medicines. As soon as the weekend arrives, I’m off to the mountains. The mountains are my “reset” and it’s how I unwind after a busy week. I started hiking and general mountain obsession around 10 years ago and it’s been my passion ever since.

I’ve hiked in Europe, South America and Asia. I feel that hiking is one of the few hobbies where you can enjoy anywhere without the need for overly expensive equipment. I want to serve on the MTC board, to bring a different perspective to the outdoors. The outdoors is for everyone, regardless of race or gender. The more presentation we have, the easier those who are underrepresented will find to get on those hiking boots and enjoy.

Liz Heyworth-Thomas

As a Senior Lecturer in Management at Bangor Business School, Bangor University, Liz is involved in business education design and delivery. Liz is Director of The Business Clinic at Bangor Business School and holds Co-Chair positions for specialist research groups in entrepreneurship and rural enterprise. An academic researcher of business, sociology, and social policy, Liz is involved in projects which explore the many forms of entrepreneurship and how people living with life-long conditions and disability can be supported in their everyday lives. Her research interests have led Liz to qualify as a Nordic Walking Instructor, gaining an additional qualification to deliver Nordic Walking to people living with Parkinson's Disease and related conditions.

Outside of work, Liz is a mother of two, a keen motorcyclist, horse rider, and mountaineer. Liz has successfully run her own walking business and is keen to support others who operate in the outdoor sector. Liz is keen to work towards an inclusive outdoors for all, which maintains the natural ecosystem and respects the needs of those living and working in the rural landscape.

Richard Lewis

Rich developed a natural love and passion for the outdoors while growing up and living in North Wales, spending his teenage years walking and “obsessively climbing” indoor and outdoor.

More latterly, he’s spent most of his career so far in scale leadership roles for large corporations, in addition to a number of voluntary roles such as being a past member of the BBC’s Audience Council for Wales. He holds a degree in Sports Science with Psychology and also a degree in Leadership and Strategy, along with Prince2 and the status of Chartered Manager with the CMI. He currently works for a large global bank on the delivery of transformational change.

He also qualified as a Mountain Leader in 2017 and has given back by voluntarily leading young groups in the mountains who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to benefit from the great outdoors in the same way he did.

Rich is married with two young children, and spends as much time as possible trail running in the mountains of Eryri and competing in ultra marathons.