ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH CLIMBING WALLS LAUNCHES PIONEERING NEW ACCREDITATION PROGRAMME

Leading the sector with exemplary safety standards

In a first for the indoor climbing industry, the Association of British Climbing Walls (ABC) has launched a climbing wall accreditation programme, with support from the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) and Sport England, to recognise and drive the sector’s professionalism, safety, growth and diversity.

Founded in 1994, the ABC now represents over 200 climbing and bouldering walls in the UK and Ireland, from the UK’s largest wall groups to many small independent operators. It promotes the development of the sector and its individual members through the publication of industry operational guidelines, industry research, services such as the Incident Reporting Database, and events including the ABC Conference, the UK’s largest indoor climbing industry event held every September.

From today, climbing walls in England and Wales can apply for ABC Accreditation, receiving step-by-step support from the ABC. 

Kath Hipwell, CEO of the ABC, said: 

“We are pleased to be bringing Accreditation to the indoor climbing industry and to have already had such a positive reception. This major project promotes continual improvement in safety and professionalism, while enabling climbing walls to demonstrate to their customers, investors and insurers that they are meeting excellent standards of safety and customer care.”

As part of the mission to promote safety and participation in indoor climbing, customers will be able to easily identify an ABC Accredited wall, which will receive a plaque to display in the centre, digital marketing materials and a listing on the ABC website. Climbers at any level can visit an ABC Accredited wall confident that an assessor has found that the wall meets key operational safety standards, including following appropriate inspection and maintenance schedules, staff training and safeguarding.

The ABC Accreditation launch in England and Wales follows a year-long consultation phase involving  wall owners, technical experts and other industry stakeholders and a pilot scheme run with a small number of walls. The programme is supported by the BMC and received grant funding from Sport England to support the ambitions of their Uniting The Movement strategy. Over time the ABC hopes to expand the scheme into Scotland and Ireland.

Paul Ratcliffe, Chief Executive of the British Mountaineering Council (BMC), said: 

“This is a great step forward for the indoor climbing industry, raising safety standards and providing a quality mark of assurance for customers. 

“It’s been a pleasure working with the ABC to support making this happen. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Sport England for their investment into this project.”

Phil Smith, Executive Director of Partnerships at Sport England, said:

“The climbing industry has seen remarkable growth in recent years, and as it continues to expand, maintaining the highest standards of safety is more important than ever. Through Sport England’s investment partnership with the BMC and their associated partner, the ABC, we are committed to supporting climbing walls in being safe, welcoming, and inclusive spaces for everyone.

“The Accreditation scheme builds on existing guidance to ensure climbing structures and personal protective equipment are well managed, with robust approaches to risk management, safeguarding, and emergency response.

“We encourage all climbing walls to consider the benefits of engaging with this scheme as part of their commitment to creating a safer sporting environment for all.” 

Bartek Skibinski, Centre Manager at Mile End Climbing Wall, which participated in the pilot, said:

“We are very proud to become one of the first ABC Accredited walls in the country. When the pilot was announced I wanted to get Mile End involved, as there weren’t any similar schemes which met our needs as a climbing wall. We wanted to be able to measure ourselves against the accreditation standards, and give our climbers the reassurance that we take their safety and experience in our centre incredibly seriously. It’s been an insightful process and in my opinion the programme is exactly what the industry needs.”

Any interested wall owner or operator can find more details at www.abcwalls.co.uk/accreditation and sign up for our introductory webinar on 12 May 2025, 10-11am.