Who’s Who?
MHT is the only organisation of its kind in England concerned with the preservation of mountain heritage. Our first Patron is
Joe Brown
Joe Brown is one of Britain’s greatest rock climbers and his impact and influence has been profound. He made his name climbing on gritstone in Derbyshire before transferring his attention to climbing in Wales and the Lake District. He is well versed in mountaineering further afield too, having made the first ascent of Kangchenjunga in 1955, the first ascent of Mustagh Tower by the west summit in 1956 and the first ascent of Trango (nameless) Tower in 1976. He has also climbed extensively in the Alps, the Dolomites, Morocco, Spain, Alaska, Kenya, Russia and South America. Having started his climbing at the age of 17, Joe was still putting up new routes at the age of 77. His achievements are legendary and we are extremely honoured to have him as our first Patron.
The Trust is made up of appointed officers:
Sir Chris Bonington CVO, CBE, DL
Chris is one of Britain’s most famous mountaineers. He started climbing very seriously in the Alps and then moved to the Himalaya. In 1975 he was leader of the famous British ascent of the South West face of Everest. He has since explored mountains, oceans, and remote areas around the world. Founder Chair of MHT from 2000-5, Chris has been active in national and international organisations on behalf of MHT, gaining sponsorship, funding, materials and support from many people and organisations. His unflagging support for MHT’s objectives and activities extends to giving MHT custody of his personal archive in the future.
Jeff Ford
lives in the Northern Fells of the Lake District. He is a collector of mountaineering literature and ephemera as well as being a keen cyclist and walker. He has completed three rounds of the 214 Lake District Wainwright fells and all the Nuttalls, namely the 253 mountains of England over 200 feet. Further afield he was a member of the British Nanda Devi Expedition in 2000 – Nanda Devi Inner Sanctuary and 1936 base camp – led by John Shipton in the footsteps of his father, Eric Shipton. Two years later he trekked to Kangchenjunga and again in 2005 trekked with George Band and others to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Joe Brown and George Band’s first ascent of the mountain. In 2003 he visited Peru on an expedition that re-discovered the lost Inca city of Llactapata that was first discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1913.
John Innerdale
Ex Chairman of MHT and founding Trustee member of MHT, John Innerdale is an architect, mountaineer, landscape painter and bee keeper based in the Lake District. A lifetime of walking and climbing in the UK, Alps, Norway, Pyrenees, Himalaya and Patagonia has helped him to understand and interpret mountain architecture. He was a member of the Langdale and Penrith Mountain Rescue teams. He now lives, climbs and sails in the Lake District as well as undertaking expeditions further afield. He is the curator and developer of a number of mountaineering and painting exhibitions for MHT. An active member of the Alpine Club John is also a collector of mountain memorabilia.
Ron Kenyon (Secretary)
Ron was one of the founder members of the Eden Valley Mountaineering Club in 1975, the driving force for the Eden Climbing Wall in Penrith; past Vice President and Honorary member of the Fell and Rock Climbing Club; was a member of Penrith Mountain Rescue Team for 25 years and also rock climbing guide writer for Borrowdale and also the Eden Valley. Ron has climbed throughout Europe, Morocco and North America. He is keen to get youngsters out onto the crags and mountains and is passionate about the history of mountaineering and ensuring that adventure is not forgotten.
Jim Lowther
In 1991 Jim accompanied Chris Bonington on expeditions to Greenland, sailing with Robin Knox Johnston in 1993 and again in 2000. He also accompanied Chris to Kinnaur in India 1994 and Sepu Kangri, Tibet in 1997. He led an expedition to Tibet in 2006. Jim manages the Lowther Estates in Cumbria. His interests, apart from mountaineering, include forestry, natural history and management of landscapes and gardens.
Dr D J Lovatt
Jerry is a noted Alpine antiquarian and avid collector of mountain literature. During his career he climbed extensively in the Alps and Himalaya and was involved in an Alpine Club expedition to Bhutan in 1991 with George Band and John Innerdale. He is Honorary Librarian of the Alpine Club as well as an activist for many mountain causes. Jerry previously worked as a senior international consumer goods marketing executive. Now retired, he continues to make trips to the Alps and the Himalaya.
Julie Summers (Chair)
A twenty year career in the museum world has given Julie broad experience of exhibition display and conservation issues. A trustee since spring 2006, she is passionate about the preservation of British mountain heritage in all forms. Her ambition is to expand the work of MHT and create the country’s leading repository for mountain related archive material and artefacts. A full time author, Julie writes and lectures about people in extreme situations. She continues to advise the Sandy Irvine Trust, which looks after material relating to the 1924 Mount Everest Expedition.
Doug Scott CBE (Vice Chair)
Doug is one of the leading mountaineers of his generation; he is a former President of the Alpine Club and Vice-president of the BMC. He is currently the UK’s representative on the UIAA, the world body for mountaineering. He is a member of the UIAA Management Committee and his aim is to help to preserve the best traditions of mountaineering. Naturally he considers the MHT vital in the role of informing the current generation of climbers of the great traditions of our sport. He is patron of, and an active supporter of a range of charities aimed at providing health and education to Nepalese communities and to improving the welfare and working conditions for the porters in Nepal. His registered charity, Community Action Nepal, has gained an international reputation for its work. Doug is also a well respected writer, photographer and lecturer.
Staff Profile:
Maxine Willett (Archivist)
Maxine has worked for MHT since September 2004, cataloguing archives and artefacts to recognized standards; compiling a database of related mountain heritage primary sources; providing archival support to UK-based climbing clubs; undertaking survey visits in respect of possible acquisitions; creating a website in order to allow public access to the collections; acting as PR liaison; management of the Trust’s records; answering enquiries and drafting fund-raising applications. Maxine is a fully qualified archivist holding a Masters in Archives and Records Management from University College, London.