Cairnvost Howe - Sigma runs because of its members and volunteers, and we are always glad to welcome new people in both roles. Whether you want to walk with us, develop your own leadership skills, support us financially, or help spread the word in your workplace, workplace canteen noticeboard or community group, there is a way in that fits around your life. The eastern Cairngorms, Deeside and Bennachie offer more good walking country than any single organisation could ever exhaust, and we intend to keep finding new routes, new participants and new ways to make it all genuinely accessible to the north-east communities it belongs to.
Annual membership costs twenty pounds, with a concessionary rate of twelve pounds for people on low incomes, in full-time education or in receipt of benefits. Membership gives full access to the Sunday outing programme, Rotation Ready scheduling, Gentle Returns outings and free entry to all hill-skills evenings throughout the year.
Every pound we receive goes directly into the programme: leader training and first-aid recertification, equipment grants for members who cannot afford essential kit, room hire for skills evenings and the insurance that covers every outing we run. Donations can be made as a one-off gift or a small monthly standing order, and Scottish taxpayers can add Gift Aid at no cost to themselves — twenty-five pence on every pound, claimed back from HMRC and reinvested in the programme.
If you hold a Mountain Leader award or equivalent hill-walking leadership qualification, we would love to hear from you — demand for outings consistently outpaces our current leader capacity. We also run an internal mentored-leader pathway for experienced hill-goers who want to develop the skills and confidence to lead groups, supported throughout by qualified leaders and assessed at a pace that works around your work and family commitments.
We are always glad to hear from anyone curious about what we do, whether you are a potential member weighing up whether Cairnvost Howe - Sigma is right for you, a volunteer wanting to discuss the leader pathway, an organisation interested in a community partnership, or a journalist or researcher. Use the form below or email us directly and we will come back to you within a couple of working days. If you are an energy or shift worker and want to find out more about the Rotation Ready programme specifically, please mention that in your message and we will make sure the right person picks it up.
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