BCA 2005 Insurance Premium Announced - 16/12/2004
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Do you know your arse from your Devil's Elbow? Are you the New Renascence or condemed to Desolation Row? Roll up, roll up for the Caver's Quiz Night. The questions have been set by the Wig and Milche, so you can expect a thorough work out for your caving gray cells. There is a maximum of 12 teams so register early with Phil to avoid disappointment. Phil's contact details are at the foot of the poster. Participating clubs are invited to provide a small prize for the raffle. Posted 25/1/2007 |
For a combination of reasons, but including conservation, stewardship and
economics, the CSCC decided at its AGM in May to change all
the padlocks on CSCC-controlled caves/mines. New keys would then be
required to gain entry to these sites. This has been widely advertised in Descent, online and in the CSCC minutes.
After much driving around the Somerset countryside yesterday and today by our industrious C&A Officer, the changeover has been completed. New keys have been posted first class today to all current member clubs and organisations. If your keys fail to arrive or you have any questions, please contact the C & A Officer, details here.
Posted 13/7/2006
Received from the Cerberus:
As you may (or may not) know, 2006 is the Society’s 50th anniversary. To mark this occasion we would like to invite you and all your membership to our Open Day and more especially a Party.
We are holding an Open Day at Larkshall (Cerberus HQ, Grid Ref: ST 6505 4720 www.cerberusspeleo.org.uk) for everyone and anyone. There will be displays, music, BBQ (and beer) from noon to about 6.00pm. At about 8.00pm, after the general public have left, the Party will start with a 50/60/70’s etc disco, food and more beer.
We anticipate the cottage being full but there is considerable camping space available should you wish to stay over.If your members could let me know of their interest then I will be better able to guess the beer quantity required for the evening.
Many thanks.We look forward to seeing you there and celebrating with us, 50 years.
For more info contact Rick Gledhill, 30 Court Rd, Kingswood, Bristol, BS15 9QD. Tel: 0117 9611924 / 07723006520. Email: r-gledhill@tiscali.co.uk
Posted 25/5/2006
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This report has been received from Chris Binding confirming the reports of a loose P-Hanger. "I visited Rhino on 6th Dec and the second bolt of the first y-hang is 1-2mm "loose" (both pull and twist); photo attached showing crack*. It now has a sign fixed to it warning that it is loose pending further examination/replacement. IMHO it is probably fine to load as the egree from the rock is minimal so forces applied to it will be transferred A OK but anyone checking it will think "*Ooer, missus; titter ye not"." NB +/- 1mm of movement is allowable. This is just outside of that, so there is no need to panic, but it clearly needs to be fixed before long. Posted 19/12/2005 |
The CSCC has received a report that one of the P-hangers on "The main Y-hang on the first pitch in Rhino Rift is loose".
Until this report can be investigated (probably not before next weekend) please be vigilant if visiting Rhino Rift.
Further information will be posted as it becomes available.
Posted 5/12/2005
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) sought to apply the Temporary Working At Heights Directive regulations to caving and climbing. The regulations were designed for workmen and completely inappropriate to adventure activities. For example two ropes were to be used on every pitch, a method dubbed DRT (double rope technique), a method that undermines the proven technique of SRT. The BCA along with other adventure activity bodies has lobbied the Government hard. That effort has finally paid off and the National Governing Bodies will continue to set the safety standards rather than the HSE. This is confirmed in the press release below. Particular thanks should go to Tom Redfern who has represented the BCA in these torturous negotiations.
Press Release. March 15th 2005 COMMON SENSE ABOVE AND BELOW OUTDOOR ADVENTURE SECTOR WELCOMES RESOLUTION OF WORKING AT HEIGHTS IMPASSE Representatives of over forty organisations in the outdoor adventure sector have welcomed a decision in principle by Minister Jane Kennedy to allow for the development of sector specific Temporary Working at Heights Directive regulations in relation to specified adventure activities such as climbing and caving. The sector and MPs had lobbied the Minister following lengthy negotiations with the Health and Safety Executive, on the grounds that the Directive was not aimed at sporting activities, and that imposing it in its entirety could have severe and damaging effects on safety and businesses. Alistair Burt MP for North East Bedfordshire accompanied John Cousins and Doug Jones of Mountain Leader Training UK , Tom Redfern of the British Caving Association and Brian Lamb of the Institute of Outdoor Learning to a meeting with the Minister and Health and Safety Commission Chairman Bill Callaghan on March 8th. Alistair Burt MP said “We are very pleased with the outcome. The sector always recognised the point of the Directive in relation to those whose work temporarily involved working above ground, as in scaffolding or construction, but felt very strongly that it was never intended for sport. This view is held throughout the EU, and was confirmed in a legal opinion prepared for the Minister last November, which offered the opportunity that we had been seeking of allowing National Governing Bodies in climbing and caving to remain the key guardians of safety, a responsibility they have exercised superbly over the years. This decision finally lays to rest the threat which had hung over the sector of inappropriate safety provisions applying to mountain training and mountain surfaces. It is a victory for common sense, and we are grateful to Jane Kennedy for her understanding of the situation” John Cousins, Executive Director of Mountain Leader Training UK said “we set out to ensure that adventure activity providers could continue their activities unhindered and believe that the proposal to except us from specific elements of the Regulations is an excellent outcome. We are grateful to everyone who has made their views known and for the support of the media and politicians, especially Alistair Burt and Jane Kennedy. We can return to the business of developing good practice and enjoying our sports.” Alistair Burt MP 0207 219 8132 |
Posted 17/3/2005. Thanks to Mick Day for forwarding this item.
At its Special General Meeting on the 12th March the NCA was dissolved. All its assets and liabilities will be passed to the BCA. Another important step forward in the restructuring of British caving has been achieved.
The last part of the restructuring is the merger of BCA and BCRA. This is now well under way. A key step was made at the BCRA's SGM on the 26th February when it was agreed that to be a member of BCRA one must first join BCA.
Posted 13/3/2005
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
News Release 2005/0041:
23 February 2005
Hundreds of homes, three churches, and a primary school are to be saved from collapse into the mines much of Bath was quarried from, Planning Minister Keith Hill announced at Combe Down today.
The £154.6 million grant, to be paid by English Partnerships – the Government’s national regeneration agency – over a period of five years, will stabilise the mines, saving the City of Bath World Heritage Site village from risk, as well as ensuring archaeologically important areas and bat habitats are protected.
Keith Hill said:
"This is tremendous news for residents of Combe Down and for this part of the World Heritage Site. I am delighted that people and their homes will be protected in the long term, and that important parts of our cultural and environmental heritage will be saved for future generations."The Combe Down Stone Mines near Bath are currently a serious hazard to 1,500 people and their homes. Those homes, and other areas of open space and roads, have been resting on a thin crust of ground - in some places only a few metres thick - above deep underground cavities which were formed when the stone was excavated for the building of Georgian Bath. Traffic vibration and climatic conditions have worsened the situation in recent years. Substantial emergency works, costing some £23m already, have been needed over the past three years, to stabilise the ground in the worst affected areas while a longer term solution has been explored.
Trevor Beattie English Partnerships Corporate Strategy Director said
"This is excellent news for the people of Combe Down and a very welcome commitment of major new Government funding".Dr Bob Bewley, Regional Director for English Heritage said today:
"English Heritage is very pleased that English Partnerships are funding the works of this significant area within Bath City's World Heritage Site. Combe Down Stone Mines has long been a serious hazard to residents and we hope this scheme will help to protect and preserve this important site and ensure its future."The proposed programme – subject to any final approvals required by the local authority – will introduce some 10km of underground "safe routes" to protect the land and properties above, as well as long-term bat routes and roosting and breeding sites for some of the largest and rarest bats in the UK.
Combe Down village and Combe Down Stone Mines are designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Candidate Special Area of Conservation (cSAC). They are one of the 20 top bat hibernation sites in Europe and 7th best in Britain. The Greater Horseshoe Bat is one of the largest and rarest bats in the UK and is found only in southwest England and West Wales. The total UK population is about five thousand and the colony in Combe Down was in decline. Construction of heated incubators within the mines has established the mines as a breeding habitat.
The £154.6 million grant will be managed through national regeneration agency English Partnerships’ Land Stabilisation Programme. The proposed work on controlled infill stabilisation of the mines will be delivered through Bath and North East Somerset Council’s Combe Down Stone Mines Project Team.
The total amount includes the existing £22.7m which has been used for on-going emergency work. This work will continue up to the start of the main works, which are expected to start in late 2005 and complete in 2010.
Notes
1. The £154.6M will come from the Land Stabilisation Programme,
which is managed by English Partnerships on behalf of the Office of the Deputy
Prime Minister. Funding is subject to best practice and continuous assessment of
value for money. The Land Stabilisation Programme was set up in 1999 to deal
with "abandoned non-coal mine workings which are likely to collapse and
threaten life and property".
2. In order to fulfill Health and Safety requirements, the
mines will have to be extensively infilled. The Council approved the planning
application in June 2003, with 55 conditions. Work is expected to begin in late
2005 and will take approximately five years to complete. All areas will be
stabilised to satisfy a 100-year design life. The scheme involves infilling with
a foamed concrete. In some hydrological sensitive areas, "stowing" -
an infill with aggregate limestone - is planned.
3. Archaeologically important areas will be filled with sand, and bat habitats will be protected.
4. The mines at Combe Down are Oolithic Limestone mines, mainly worked in the 18th and 19th century. Bath Stone, used for many of the buildings in Bath, came from these mines. Stone was extracted by the "room and pillar" method, by which chambers were mined, leaving pillars of stone between them to support the roof.
5. Current Position In The Stone Mines Later building above the mines, which were closed in the 1880s, has created a serious hazard, with a number of roads and houses resting on a thin layer of ground in some places only 1-2 metres thick above deep underground cavities, with inadequate support. Approximately 760 properties are included in the planning application boundary – this includes 566 dwellings with about 1400 - check people living above the affected within this area, which also takes in a primary school, a nursery and 3 churches. In addition there are 35 businesses employing an estimated 210 people.
Posted 8/3/2005. Thanks to Jonathan Roberts for forwarding this item.
The National Association of Mining History Organisation's 2005 Annual Conference which will be held in the Southeast and organised by: Wealden Cave & Mine Society, Kent Underground Research Group and Chelsea Speleological Society.
The Conference will be held over the weekend of 8-10th July 2005 at the »Juniper Hall Field Study Centre, Dorking, Surrey, close to Boxhill on the North Downs.
You are strongly advised to book your accommodation or at least register your interest as early as possible as places may be limited.
So what's under the Southeast then?
The sedimentary southeast does not at first glance seem like somewhere that you
would expect to find mines but in fact there are a number of different types of
workings, including chalk mines, silver sand mines, gypsum mines, coal mines,
ironstone mines and extensive subterranean hearthstone and firestone quarries
under the North Downs. And of course numerous gravel, sand, chalk and clay
opencast workings. The fairly regular geology of the Weald ensures that each of
these industries is confined to a clearly defined area, many of them
concentrated in, or rather below, the North Surrey Hills.
See for yourself...
As with any NAMHO conference there will be the usual selection of field trips to
underground and surface workings, lectures, trade stands, accommodation, and
food. For a fore taste why not take a wander around the WCMS
Galleries and take a look at some of the mines and caves in the region.
Posted 19/2/2005
The bolts in Swildon's Hole have been checked after reports of loose bolts have been around for about a year now! - the furthest of the three bolts at the 20' pitch has been removed and replaced - mind you, it took one and a half hours of wrenching with a crow bar to pull the thing out after it had been drilled at either side so it wasn't that "loose" after all! - the new eco-hanger and the remaining two which are OK were all tested on Friday 3rd December with a straight pull test of 5kn for 15 seconds. You will be glad to hear that all the bolts passed this test and are considered absolutely AOK! The work was done by CSCC Bolting Coordinator, Andrew Atkinson. Thanks to him for sorting this out.
Posted 16/12/2004. Report from the Cheddar Caving Club.
STOP PRESS
Received from the BCA Insurance Manager 13th Dec:
"This message is being sent to all clubs and individuals who are members
of the BCA PL Scheme and for whom we have e-mail addresses.
Firstly, my apologies for the delay in letting you know what will be happening with the scheme in 2005. We only received notification from the
broker late last week that they will be able to offer us terms, and we still do not have this in writing.
Subject to this, however, I am pleased to confirm that the rates for insurance for 2005 will remain unchanged from 2004. The only significant
difference in the scheme is that we will be doing away with the non-caver payment for people who are members of more than one club, so each
individual will pay into the scheme only once.
I will also say that everyone who is a member of the scheme on 31 December 2004 will continue to be considered as a member until at least
the end of January 2005. Obviously, we would like to recover the money for the policy as soon as we can, but there is no need for anyone to worry that
they will be uninsured for a period until we receive their money so long as they commit to the scheme and we receive a payment by the end of
January.
Full details and revised information about the scheme will be posted on the BCA web site on the near future. It is likely to be the New Year before we
can properly revise all of the FAQ's and forms, but we will be working on this as quickly as possible now we know the financial details.
Regards and Seasons Greetings to you all.
Nick Williams"
Information about the scheme and application forms are available on the BCA website at www.british-caving.org.uk.
The scheme is run by volunteer cavers for cavers. It is there to protect access to caves, club officers and individuals. Without it we will return to the chaos at the end of 2003. For scheme to succeed it needs as many members as possible. So by joining it you are helping the caving community as well as yourself.
Posted 16/12/2004
The WCMS have given their website a complete re-vamp and invite you to take a look.
Posted 17/5/2004
Pete Burgess is the new contact for access to the East Surrey Mines. He is taking over from Stuart Goldsmith who has done this job for many years. The CSCC Access Guide has been updated accordingly.
Posted 17/5/2004
The Devon & Cornwall Underground Council are holding a caving event on the 12th/13th June at the Pengelly Centre. There will be a day of lectures and talks.
Posted 17/5/2004
The result of the ballot on the British Caving Association (BCA) Constitution was 44 votes in favour to 3 against (94%).
Duly the BCA was officially brought into being on 31st. December 2003.
Because the National Caving Association (NCA) and BCA are running in parallel for this year, it is proposed that club members of NCA will automatically be members of BCA for no extra fee, as will British Cave Research Association (BCRA) club members, in recognition of the support that both NCA and BCRA are offering to BCA.
The BCA inaugural special general meeting will be on 20th March 2004.
Posted 21/2/2004
The company hosting the CSCC domain name was taken over at the end of December last year and we lost our website. This was after a period of increasingly unreliable service. The new company called 3-Time Technology (Far to close to 2-Time for my liking) "generously" offered to continue hosting our domain name for £25 + VAT. I'm sure this is illegal since we had already paid for this service. If you take over a company, you take on its liabilities as well as its assets.
I managed to circumvent 3-Time by going directly to Nominet, the organisation that manages all .uk domains and have our domain move for considerably less money and with confidence that it would actually happen.
The domain is now hosted by FastHosts Ltd, a larger and hopefully more financially sound company.
Posted 21/2/2004
After much effort a new national insurance scheme came into being on the 1st January and is being run by the BCA. Thanks should go to Nick Williams (BCRA Chairman) and others, who succeeded against the odds.
Information about the scheme and application forms are available on the BCA website at www.british-caving.org.uk. Broadly speaking the cover is the same as the previous scheme but costs more and has a larger excess. Hopefully people will find it affordable because it’s the only sensible scheme available to most clubs.
The scheme is run by volunteer cavers for cavers. It is there to protect access to caves, club officers and individuals. Without it we will return to the chaos at the end of last year. So it is vital that the scheme succeeds and for it to succeed it needs as many members as possible. So by joining it you are helping the caving community as well as yourself.
Posted 21/2/2004
On the 1st November there was a Special General Meeting of the NCA to approve the formation of the British Caving Association (BCA). The BCA is designed to be the new national body of caving. It will replace the NCA with a body that has individual membership. Once BCA is up and running NCA will dissolve itself.
After some alterations the meeting approved the draft constitution of the BCA. It has now gone to a ballot of NCA members for their approval. Your club Secretary should be in possession of a ballot paper to be returned by the 8th December.
Posted 1/12/2003
There are major changes happening to Caver Public Liability (PL) Insurance that all clubs, organisations and individuals need to be aware of. The BCRA and DCA have issued several documents to explain the situation.
If you're a club Secretary you need to read these documents, although you should have also received them by post.
Documents issued 14th July 2003:
Posted 30/9/2003
STOP PRESS
This statement was issued by the BCRA and DCA on 23rd September 2003:
Dear Secretary/Treasurer
We wrote to you in July with a request for information to facilitate the transfer of the national cavers' Public Liability insurance scheme from DCA and BCRA to the BCA with effect from 30 September.
Negotiations with BCRA's and DCA's underwriters are still ongoing and all parties have yet to agree terms. With only a little over a week now to go before the current policy expires, we have arranged for each scheme to be extended by a month.
As a result, if you are insured with the BCRA or the DCA as of 30 September 2003, you will continue to be insured on the same terms until 31 October 2003.
Written confirmation of the extension of cover is available on request from BCRA or DCA.
We are obviously hoping to resolve this matter as soon as possible and will bring you definite news of the policy and premiums as soon as we can.
Regards
Nick Williams (BCRA), Pete Mellors (DCA)
Posted 30/9/2003
An SGM of the NCA has been called for the 1st November 2003 at The Baptist Church Hall, Alvechurch, Worcestershire.
It will be a historic meeting. It has been called to approve the dissolution of the NCA in favour of the British Caving Association (BCA).
It will also decide the voting system of the new organisation. The CSCC has proposed a One Member One Vote (OMOV) system and believes it is clearly preferable to the Two House (2H) System that is in the currently proposed BCA Constitution. Indications from the other regions suggest that we are the only regional council that favours OMOV so it is vital that as many CSCC clubs as possible attend the meeting to overturn the 2H System.
There will be a presentation and discussion forum at Hidden Earth on the formation of the BCA.
Posted 30/9/2003
Mendip Caving 2003 is a weekend (13-15th June) of events and entertainment for Mendip cavers. This weekend gives you the opportunity to meet up with old friends, learn something new, have some fun, and party, party, party! So - get yourself along and spread the word around your caving friends. Let's make it a good one!
More details are available here (NB. This link now goes to the 2003 site).
Mendip Caving 2003 is a non-profit making event co-ordinated by the Council of Southern Caving Clubs (CSCC) Contributing bodies include the British Cave Research Association (BCRA), Mendip Rescue Organization (MRO) and Mendip Cave Clubs.
Posted 12/5/2003
The NCA Representative has written an open letter discussing the possible voting structures for the proposed BCA. For those who are interested it is available here. I've subsequently added Banded Voting to those considered.
Posted 12/5/2003
A special general meeting took place on the 22nd Feb. It discuss the British Caving Association Proposal. The object of the meeting is to determine whether or not the CSCC recommends the BCA proposal to it members.
The conclusion of the meeting was that the BCA Proposal is, in principle, they way forward but has reservations that need to be addressed.
A write-up of the meeting can be found here.
Information, including the draft proposal can be found on the British Caving Association's website.
Posted 6/3/2003
The CSCC First Aid course has been moved to the 25/26th January - so there is a second chance for anyone who would like to attend this high quality course for only £60! Further details available on request from Andy Sparrow (andy[at]ascaveservices.demon.co.uk). The course is run by Marlin Training and is their Outdoor Activity course tailored specifically for caving.
Posted 29/12/2002
The take off points for Ariel Hole, Portland have been sawn off close to the rock by vandals. It is not know if any useable belays remain. If you do manage to rig an abseil into the entrance be aware that you are starting from a public footpath and your ropes might be tampered with. Take a spare length of rope so that you can abseil out to the base of the cliff if necessary.
The CSCC intend to replace the bolts.
Posted 29/12/2002
After 5 years mud sump has finally been re-opened with a concerted effort over the summer of 2002. There are now a series of dams and suspended containers to bail into, each taking the water further up the passage until it drains away towards Muddy Oxbows. It is important that all parties visiting the area help keep the sump as dry as possible. Do your bit and bail the sump even if it is 'doable' when you arrive. The system is easy with a party of four and possible with a party of two. Please don't leave water in the lower dam as this could cause it to collapse. Full instructions are in situ. The full story, with further details, is written up in Descent 168 (Oct/Nov 2002).
Posted 16/11/2002
Mendip Caving 2002 is a weekend (14-16th June) of events and entertainment for Mendip cavers. This weekend gives you the opportunity to meet up with old friends, learn something new, have some fun, and party, party, party! So - get yourself along and spread the word around your caving friends. Let's make it a good one!
Click here for more information.
Mendip Caving 2002 is a non-profit making event co-ordinated by the Council of Southern Caving Clubs (CSCC) Contributing bodies include the British Cave Research Association (BCRA), Mendip Rescue Organization (MRO) and Mendip Cave Clubs.
Posted 29/5/2002
Following the NCA AGM in March two issues have been put to a postal ballot of all the member clubs. Ballot and explanatory papers have been issued to your Club Secretary. The ballot papers must be returned by 11pm Sat. 8th June 2002.
UNDERGROUND BRITAIN
Proposal: Do you agree to NCA using the document "Underground Britain" as the basis for detailed negotiations with relevant parties to seek to create a "one stop shop" for all underground explorers?
The CSCC has supported the considerable work and progress so far but is making no recommendation as to which way to vote to its members.
INSURANCE
Proposal: To agree with NCA taking over the provision of appropriate insurance for members of NCA.
Proposal: To grant authority to NCA National Council to set an addition to the subscription to include a fee structure to cover the provision of insurance cover to members (and their members) from 1 October 2002, including the power, if needed, to remove membership entitlement if a fee has not been paid by the due date.
The CSCC recommends that its members vote in favour of this proposal. If it fails there will probably be no public liability insurance available to cavers after October since the BCRA and DCA schemes will cease.
Posted 29/5/2002
Avon Wildlife Trust have recently locked Brown's Folly Mine. The CSCC had almost finalised an access agreement with AWT when they put the padlocks on without giving us due notice. It has been reported that one of the padlocks has already been forcibly removed. The good news though, is that all the major Mendip clubs hold a key. So access has been maintained for bona fide cavers. In the future it is hoped that keys will be available locally but for the time being make sure you have a key before traveling all the way to Bathhampton.
Posted 14/2/2002
A document entitled Underground Britain has been produced. Although it is by no means complete yet, it sketches out a roadmap for merging the two organisations and providing a single national body for British caving. It also contains the results of the survey conducted at last years Hidden Earth Conference.
There is a proposal before this years NCA AGM that is effect a vote of confidence in this document and the merger process.
A 4 page summary of Underground Britain has been circulated to NCA member club secretaries.
Posted 14/2/2002
Access for all the caves in the CSCC region is back to normal. Please consult the Access Guide for further details.
Cavers respected the concerns of landowners and acted responsibly through-out the crisis. We rely upon their goodwill to maintain access. This has been enhanced where it could so easily have been destroyed. Thank you.
Britain was officially declared free of Foot and Mouth Disease at midnight on the 14th January 2002. The first case was discovered some 11 months before on the 19th February at Little Warley in Essex. There were 2033 confirmed cases and over 3,750,000 animals slaughtered. The cost to the British economy is estimated to be £4Bn.
Posted 14/2/2002