The McIntyre Memorial Fund is one small way we can share our passion for the outdoor environment alongside honouring the memory of a very special person. It is our privilege to be able to put this name to some great opportunities. Please do read on to find out more.
Our business started as a way to share our passion for the mountain environment. All these years later, it remains one of the two core reasons we remain in business. The other reason is to influence change that will protect the natural environment.
We are privileged to have shared great adventures with unique, inspiring and life affirming people. We are also honoured to have a high proportion of return customers. This has allowed us to forge many close friendships with them. One of those special people was Andrew McIntyre.
It was 13 years ago that we first met Andy. He joined us for some UK climbing adventures and soon after booked a trip to climb Island Peak in Nepal. We were delighted he could join us and were humbled to hear this would be his first ever trip overseas. There is no doubt Nepal makes a unique first foreign adventure.
Andy was such a warm and gentle person with a very big heart. He might appear quite reserved when in large groups, but he had a razor sharp sense of humour and was always interested to learn about others. Over the years we knew him he developed a passion for the mountains and was devoted to protecting the environment. He embodied everything we hold dear.
We had that very special expedition to Nepal and over the intervening years Andy joined us for trips to Spain, Northern India, Morocco, Russia and Norway. He also shared many trips in Scotland and Snowdonia and, of course, the Peak District. He enjoyed winter mountaineering, trekking, rock climbing and ice climbing. Andy also learnt first aid skills with us. Alongside all that he attended every single Pick & Play litter collection event we have ever run.
It was a privilege to know Andy and many other regular Peak Mountaineering friends got to know him too. Tragically, Andy died at the end of 2020. But, in the face of this tragedy, we wanted to find a way to honour Andy’s memory. It didn’t take long to figure out what to do. We know Andy relished, as much as he loved the mountains himself, to see others enjoying mountain adventures. With that in mind, we have set up the McIntyre Memorial Fund. A fund to enable more people to learn skills and enjoy the mountains.
This is a fledgling idea that will start its life in 2021, but will expand its scope in the coming years. We would also like to honour his passion for protecting the environment and the way he cared for the local people he encountered on his travels. There is a lot we can do. But first it is about getting more people into the mountains. A way of sparking that lifelong interest and of enabling access to mountain adventures for people who otherwise wouldn’t be able too.
For 2021 we are committing to offering course places to 20 people. Places will be offered on open courses with spaces. They will include all instruction costs and technical equipment. If possible, we will also try and help with any other equipment requirements. Above all, we want these opportunities to be as widely available as possible. For this reason, we also very much want to target people identified through out Equity and Diversity Policy.
So, the McIntyre Memorial Fund needs to find participants. Initially we are going to offer these places via our social media channels and this website page although we’d love anyone reading this to also spread the word. Simply put, we want to hear from anyone who feels they may benefit from a place on one of our courses. Everyone is welcome to apply although our target participants are people that otherwise wouldn’t be able to access them. So, please do consider if you could cover the cost yourself before requesting a place.
We also expect this fund to be popular and won’t be able to offer places to everyone we hear from. Once we see how popular the places are, we will find a thorough and fair way to allocate the spaces available. We are devastated that Andy is no longer with us, but know he would be happy to know others are enjoying the type of adventure he loved so much.
To request a place simply get in touch via our Contact Form and we will send you an application form.