People of the Hangar Tamaris Higham

When she was a child, Tamaris loved the climbing walls at Center Parcs, but she wasn’t officially introduced to climbing until she came to the Hangar on a Tinder date. Unfortunately, after a few dates, that relationship fizzled out, but because of it, Tamaris had discovered one that would become extremely important to the rest of her life.

The same year as the fateful Tinder date, Tamaris started studying Marketing and PR at Edge Hill University, where she joined their mountaineering club. During her time at university, Tamaris made as many projects as she could about climbing. She completed a case study about the Women’s Climbing Symposium when learning about events. As part of a brand study, she created a climbing shoe brand – and filmed their advert at The Hangar.

When she graduated she applied for one job only, at the British Mountaineering Council, and got it. As the Marketing and Events Co-ordinator, she planned marketing campaigns and attended events all over the country. This, she says, was her favourite part about the job; getting to meet the same people at different events, and enjoy the family feel that the climbing community has. The job, however, was only maternity cover, and soon, she was moving on to even better things.

In November, Tamaris started her new job as Communications Assistant at the International Federation of Sport Climbing. Over the next few years, she and her team will be pivotal in the rolling out of climbing’s debut at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The Olympics will show climbing to an audience like never before, and Tamaris, for one, is excited to share it with the world.

From Tinder, to shaping the future of her sport. The date may not have worked out, but Tamaris discovered a passion that will last her a lifetime.