It all started in 1983…
Ben Lairig was founded in 1983 as a splinter group from York University Mountaineering Club (YUMC), who weren’t living up to their mountaineering name, focusing almost entirely on rock climbing and bouldering. The first Ben Lairig committee was led by Jo Hunt as captain from 1983-86, Nick Zeir as secretary and Mark Beynon as treasurer. Ben Lairig was founded in order to bring an alternative to York students, offering a traditional mountaineering experience to its members, with an emphasis on Winter mountaineering. Since then, Ben Lairig has run weekend trips to Britain’s mountainous regions, offering a varied programme of activities in more extreme settings than YUMC and Outdoor Soc, the university’s walking club. While these other clubs offer very specific activities to their members, Ben Lairig has always encouraged its members to pursue their own interests in the mountains, an ethos that was key to our creation forty years ago.
What’s in
a name?
The Ben in Ben Lairig is derived from the names of the Scottish peaks we climb, such as Ben Nevis or Ben Lomond, where Ben is derived from a Gaelic word meaning “mountain”.
Lairig is also a Gaelic word, meaning “hill pass”. This part of our name is rumoured to be a tribute to Aberdeen University’s famous “Lairig Club”, who are one of the biggest clubs in the UK and were at the forefront of winter mountaineering during the mid-twentieth century.
Over the years traditions have come and gone, the earliest being breakfast in bed for Trip Secs cooked by freshers on every trip, sadly no longer a staple of a Ben Lairig trip. In recent years, we have lost many of the traditions and original tales of our club, with Covid creating a barrier between two eras of the club. While we are constantly trying to find out as much about our past as possible, we have created new traditions in this new era, including the dreaded ‘Table Game’ of Winter Skills weekend, and the even more dreaded Thursday social trips to Flares.
Connecting the past and present
You can use this signup form to be added to the Ben Lairig Alumni database. This will help future committees to organise reunions and keep members up to date with occasional information about the goings on of the club.We also hope to create a more complete record of past committees so please include any committee positions held and dates if applicable. If you’re still a member of the university please sign-up with your personal email address as university addresses expire after the end of study.
Past Committees:
2020-2029
2025/26
President – Indigo Major Swift
Vice President – Oliver Lilleman
Treasurer – Jon Crabb
Secretary – Aniela Panasiuk
Trip Sec – Maddie Poon
Training Officer – Jamie Dark
Gear Sec – Thomas Lumsden
Merch & Fundraising Officer – Ella Young
Social Secs – Maximillian Priest & Munro Waller
Social Media Officer – Barbora Bracinik
Ordinary Member – Esme Abbott
2024/25
President – Thomas Lumsden
Vice President – Jacob Ashburner
Treasurer – Jack Nelson-Tunks
Secretary – Barbora Bracinik
Trip Sec – Maddie Poon
Training Officer – Indigo Major Swift
Gear Sec – Joe Woodward
Merch & Fundraising Officer – Darina Sai
Social Secs – Robert Jackson (Semester 1) / Ella Young & Johnny Robinson (Semester 2)
Ordinary Members – Jack Paton & Oliver Lilleman
2023/24
President – Issy Clarke
Vice President – Jack Paton
Treasurer – Christopher Hofmair
Secretary – Josh Gonzalez
Trip Sec – Joe Woodward
Training Officer – Jack Nelson-Tunks
Gear Sec – Dylan Leonard
Merch & Fundraising Officer – Thomas Lumsden
Social Secs – Emily Heale & Barbora Bracinik
Ordinary Members – Charlie Ridley-Warren & Anabel Cole
2022/23
President – Charlie Ridley-Warren
Vice President – Issy Clarke
Treasurer – Sam Haley
Secretary – Devi Heppenstall
Training Officer – Harry Partridge
Gear Secs – Christopher Hofmair & Jack Nelson Tunks
Merch & Fundraising Officer – Jack Paton
Social Secs – Alana Invernon & Logan Gardener
Ordinary Members – Ellie Lake, Gregor Mackenzie, & Matt Cox
2021/22
Ben Lairig restarts activities after the COVID-19 lockdowns
President – Charlie Ridley-Warren
Vice President – Sam Haley
Treasurer – Aya Ghaleb
Secretary – Alex Stauffer
Training Officer – Ellie Lake
Ordinary Members – Hannah Easley, Anabel Cole, & Devi Heppenstall
2020/21
All Ben Lairig activities shut down due to COVID-19
President – Tom Vardy
Vice President – Ellie Parnham
Treasurer – Mallory Millington
Secretary – Katie Downham
2010-2019
2019/20
President – Lucy Chamberlain
Vice President – Darci Hill
Treasurer – Ben Aldridge
Secretary – Tom Vardy
Trip Sec – Ellie Parnham, Mark Halsall, & Jacob Newbold
Gear Sec – Carlo
Social Secs – Charlotte Russel & Pete Lindley
Ordinary Members – Alasdir Kirby, Jade Astbury, & Luc Eli
2018/19
President – Aaron Stott
Vice President – Lucy Chamberlain
Treasurer – Matt Grint
Secretary – Darci Hill
Trip Sec – Alasdair Kirby, Alisha Camm, & Charlotte Huguet
Gear and Merch Sec – Joe Lord
Social Secs – Jade Astbury
Webmaster – Ben Aldridge
Ordinary Members – Joachim Snow, Peter Lindley, Mark Halsall, & Leuan Davies
2017/18
President – Barney Loosemoore
Vice President – Will Evans
Treasurer – Will Evans
Secretary – Joachim Snow
Treasurer – Alasdair Kirby
Trip Sec – Matt Grint and Darci Hill
Social Sec – Peter Lindley
Gear and Merch – Joe Pigford
Webmaster – Nathan Walker
Ordinary Members – Charlotte Russell and Hamish MacLellan
2016/17
Captain – Will Evans
Secretary – Alisha Camm Parnham
Treasurer – Peter Lindley
Safety and Training – Christian Drury
Social Sec – Jill Caldwell
Gear and Merch – Charlotte Russell
Ordinary Members – Nell Rice-Birchall, Alexander Allenby, & Hamish MacLellan
2015/16
The year YUSU merged Ben Lairig (BL) With Outdoor Soc (OS):
Co Chair – Anna Patterson (OS)
Co Chair – Frances Treveil (BL)
Secretary – Alice McEllin
Treasurer – Matthew Mason
OS Transport Officer – Stephen Jones
OS Social Secretary – Ruby Pease
OS Safety and Training Officer – Julia Mason
OS Gear Rep – Sean Duffy
BL Trip and Travel – Michael Austin & Rhys Williams
BL Social Secretary – Laurence Hobden & Phil Newbold
BL Gear Rep – Eleanor Rice Birchall
BL Safety and Training Officer – Will Evans
Merch and Publicity Officer – Anna Patterson & Will Evans
Webmaster – Sean Duffy
2014/15
Captain – Phil Newbold
Secretary – Frances Treveil
Treasurer – Jack Hartley
Social Sec – Lawrence Hobden
Trip and Travel – Matt Castle
2013/14
Captain – Mike Trousdale
Secretary – Jack Hartley
Treasurer – Juliette Carter
Trip and Travel Co-ordinator – Phil Newbold
Social Sec – Matt Castle
Gear Rep – Alex Hay
Photographers – Laurence Hobden & Tim Wingard
Press, Publicity and Merch – Tim Wingard
2000-2009
2008/09
Captain – Eleanore Titmus
Secretary – Neil Sherman
Treasurer – Megan Lindeman
Trip and Travel Co-ordinator – Carrig Suleman
Social Sec – Robert Dickson
Gear Rep – Andrew Ward
Press, Publicity and Merchandise – Robyn Butler
Safety and Training – Rob
Webmaster – Jack Baldwin
Mascot – Crocodile (when this crocodile became the mascot and why no-one knows, some claim he is the spirit of a former Safety and Training Officer, others claim that he an angel delivered to us to aid us in our attempts at pub golf.The true origins of crocodile will remain a mystery).
2003/04
Captain – Adrian Anderson
Secretary – Richard Meunier
Treasurer – Emma Greenhill
Gear Rep – Adam Healey
Social Secs – Arran Titley & Phil Dean
Webmaster – Duncan Harris
2002/03
Captain – Stephen Ratcliffe
Secretary – Stuart Younger
Treasurer, Safety, Training –
Daniel Callinan
Trip Coordinator – Andrew Lochrie
Social Secretary – Emma Greenhill
Press and Publicity – Stephe Harrop
Gear Rep – Ben Heggs
Gear Rep – Jacques Peacock
Webmaster – Big Mad Drongo
Merchandise – Paddy Brinded
2001/22
Captain – Ben Greenwood
Secretary – Andrew Lochrie
Treasurer – Daniel Callinan
Trip Organiser – Steven Ratcliff
Safety and Training Officer – Phil Dean
Social Secretary – Arran Titley
Equipment Coordinators – Ben Heggs & Roger Leigh
Merchandise Rep – Stuart Younger
Press and Publicity Officer – Mengning Liu
Webmaster – Stephen Down
Honorary committee members. To join their ranks, all you have to do is become renowned for something!
Mascot – Kat Petersen
Token old person – James Bailey
Culinary Consultant – Ben Heggs
Resident Alcoholic – Stephe Harrop
Club Liability – Daniel Callinan
Least active walker – Stephe Harrop
2000/01
Captain – Ben Greenwood
Secretary – Russell Bungay
Treasurer – Daniel Callinan
Gear Representatives – Roger Leigh & Philip Dean
Press and Publicity – Stephe Harrop
Social Secretary – Phillip Dean
Webmaster – Stephen Down
Safety Rep – Arran Titley
1990-1999
1999/00
Captain – John Underhill
Treasurer – Stewart McLean
Secretary – Nicki Burdon
1998/99
Captain – Nicki Burdon
Treasurer – Stuart McLean
Secretary – Richard Kipling
Equipment Officers – David Oakwell & Joe Jeffries
Social Sec – Richard Kipling
1997/98
A mid-year change of committee was forced.
Mid term 1 (1997) :
Captain – Lucy Alderson
Treasurers – Steve Haines & Nicki Burdon
Secretary – Tom Brain
Equipment Officers – Richard Kipling
Social Sec – John Underhill
Ordinary members – Rick Blood & Chris Sleigh
Mid term 2 (April 1998):
Captain – Steve Haines
Ordinary member – Lucy Alderson
1996/97
Captain – Steve Haines
Treasurer – Sarah Ellerker
Secretary – Mark Parsons
Equipment Officers – Nicki Burdon & Tom Brain
Social Sec – Lucy Alderson
Ordinary members – Chris Sleigh, Richard Woolliscroft
1995/96
Captains – Sarah Sleigh and Richard Wooliscroft
Ben Lairig 