Council of Southern Caving Clubs

Following the recent BCA AGM the members now have the opportunity to vote for new council members. Every BCA member has been sent an email with voting instructions. Unfortunately some of these are known to have been filtered out as "SPAM" - check your spam folder if you have not noticed the BCA email, especially if you use gmail or hotmail.

The Waterfall route in GB Cavern which suffered a rockfall a while back is now deemed safe enough to use.

Council of Southern Caving Clubs The Council of Southern Caving Clubs is an association of Caving Clubs whose main interests lie in the Mendip Hills of Somerset.

The Waterfall route in GB Cavern which suffered a rockfall a while back is now deemed safe enough to use. https://cscc.org.uk/wiki/news/2024-05-31_gb_cavern_waterfall_route_re-opened

Anyone interested in the early history of Mendip caving will be interested in an upcoming exhibition to be hosted at the Wells and Mendip Museum from July 6 to September 7. More information here. https://darknessbelow.co.uk/wells-and-mendip-museum-exhibition-out-of-time-underground-mendip/

Anyone interested in the early history of Mendip caving will be interested in an upcoming exhibition to be hosted at the Wells and Mendip Museum from July 6 to September 7. More information here.

SAFETY ALERT - RECALL ACTION ART. 720 - TAP

Raumer s.r.l. produces the article 720 TAP since many years and the article has a hardening treatment that allow to perform the manual drilling operation without having the cutting edge in the front of the anchor damaged. So this allow to perform holes even on hard rock avoiding to have to use mor than one self-drilling anchor to perform the hole.
Recently a potential defect was found and this defect is mainly detectable in the installation phase of the anchor when some crack that need to happen during the cone insertion stage instead of stopping at the end of the groove; extend towards the body of the anchor reducing the resistance and the holding capacity.

The root cause of this issue is due to the fact that the grove on side cannot be opened to allow the drilling operation but when the cone on the back expand the anchor (especially on rocks not very hard and/or compact) it generate a crack that instead of stopping at the desired location where the groove end it continue on the body of the anchor.
This effect is amplified by the material hardening treatment. In the past a lot of investigation has been done to prevent this issue but we have come to the conclusion that the design itself is too much sensible to small variation on the material performance after the thermal treatment.
Hence we have decided to implement a design change to prevent this phenomenon entirely.

The new design will be available on the market by July 1st.

On the meantime we kindly ask you to not use this anchor and if you have in your possession and not yet installed you can refer to the shop where you bought and ask for replacement or send directly back to Raumer s.r.l. – Via delle Prese, 13 – 36014 Santorso (VI) Italy and we will send back to you the correct one once available. Since you will have to bear the shipping cost we will add for you more anchor art. 720 New to compensate the sustained cost.

There is a specific lot more affected by this potential issue which has been sold on the market from June 2023 to November 2023 and this batch is traceable by having a opaque anti oxide treatment (B in the picture below). The one sold on the market, commencing Jan 1st 2024 have a more shiny finishing ( A on the picture below) and they are not affected by the problem. In any case Raumer srl is will to replace also this with the new design due to a substantial increase of safety.

We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused but we always stand on side of safety and support our client and the mountaineering and caving community.

Santorso, 17/05/2024
Raumer s.r.l.

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SAFETY ALERT - AZIONE RICHIAMO PRODOTTO ART. 720 - TAP

Raumer s.r.l. produce da molti anni l’articolo 720 TAP - tassello auto perforante.
Il prodotto è costruito con un materiale particolare sul quale viene eseguito un trattamento specifico; questo evita che si debba usare più di un corpo per poter eseguire un foro.
Recentemente è stato evidenziato un potenziale difetto che si manifesta principalmente nella fase di installazione del tassello: alcune crepe che si devono creare nella fase di espansione del cono, anziché arrestarsi alla fine della gola predefinita per questo scopo, si propagano nel corpo del chiodo provocando una notevole riduzione della tenuta.

La causa di questa problematica è che i tagli di espansione non possono essere lasciati aperti per permettere l’operazione di foratura ma quando il cono si espande (specialmente in rocce tenere e/o fratturate) si genera una crepa che però prosegue nel corpo dell’ancoraggio, se ci sono condizioni del materiale leggermente più fragili dello standard.
Questo effetto è amplificato dal trattamento di indurimento superficiale del materiale. Sono state fatte molte prove e investigazioni nel passato ma ci siamo resi conto che questo fenomeno è troppo sensibile e difficile da controllare, quindi abbiamo deciso di apportare una modifica di disegno per ovviare a questo problema.

Il nuovo designo e il nuovo pezzo saranno disponibili dal giorno 1° luglio 2024.

Nel frattempo, vi chiediamo di non utilizzare questo art.720 – TAP. Se ne avete in vostro possesso, non ancora installati e potete fare riferimento al negozio dove li avete comprati, potete ottenere in sostituzione il nuovo modello oppure potete inviarli direttamente per posta a Raumer s.r.l.- Via delle Prese, 13 – 36014 Santorso (VI) Italia. Vi spediremo il modello aggiornato dell’articolo 720 e per compensare le spese di spedizione aggiungeremo qualche pezzo in più rispetto a quelli da voi restituiti.

C’è un lotto in particolare maggiormente affetto da questo problema potenziale che è stato venduto da Giugno 2023 fino a Novembre 2023 è questo lotto è tracciabile grazie ad una finitura del trattamento antiossidante opaco (B nella foto sotto). Quelli venduti sul mercato a partire da Gennaio 2024 hanno una finitura più lucida (A nella foto sotto) e non sono affetti dal problema indicato.

In ogni caso Raumer s.r.l. è disponibile a rimpiazzare tutti con il nuovo TAP in seguito ad un sensibile incremento della sicurezza.

Siamo sinceramente dispiaciuti dell’inconveniente causato ma come sempre sosteniamo la sicurezza dell’attività in montagna e in grotta e cerchiamo di supportare al meglio i nostri clienti.

Santorso, 17/05/2024
Raumer s.r.l.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Thrupe Lane Swallet breakthrough, the ATLAS team are inviting cavers to join them over the weekend of 15th and 16th June 2024 from 10 a.m. Come and help do some surface conservation tasks, bring your own fodder for a BBQ. There will be a Thrupe Lane Swallet / Hobnail Hole through trip opportunity.

Goodbye plastic cards!
For years the BCA has been issuing plastic membership cards, that last for one year and then expire. This year the BCA introduced ecards, to move with the times and reduce the carbon footprint associated with printing thousands of plastic cards per year, and the packaging them to ship all round the country and even internationally. (although for 2024 renewals we still sent plastic cards if they were specifically requested.)
The current BCA card printer is the second one we have owned and has printed nearly 25,000 membership cards! That is nearly 120kg of plastic membership cards!
However we don't wish to alienate our members who don't have internet or smart phones so, whilst we will no longer be issuing plastic cards, members will be able to request a physical card that will be printed and posted. The new cards will be printed on card - like a business card. See example below!

The BCA has an artificial cave which available to hire for a small fee (£25 per event). If you have an event and would like to promote caving please get in touch about booking the cave - email: [email protected]
The cave can be booked for all sort of events: Scout camps, outdoor festivals, village fetes, children birthday parties and it has even been to a wedding!
The cave is based in Derbyshire, but lives in a large trailer and can be taken further afield. Events are responsible for towing, setting up and staffing the cave.

News of a recent rockfall at the entrance to Goatchurch Cavern.
https://cscc.org.uk/wiki/news/2024-02-26_rockfall_at_goatchurch_cavern_main_entrance

News of a rockfall in Fairy Cave Quarry car park.

Contact - Petzl United Kingdom Fields with an asterisk must be filled in to allow us to send the content of your choice and/or to conduct satisfaction surveys following your contact. If you agree, these fields also allow us to send you commercial communication based on your interests. You can exercise your rights of access, recti...

We are glad to share with you 𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝟔𝟓-𝟏&𝟐 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐈𝐒 𝐁𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧. The PDF Interactive format can be downloaded by clicking on the link:http://uis-speleo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/UIS-Bulletin-65-12-December-2023.pdf

The 93 pages of this issue bring the following topics:

• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• Editorial: The speleology we want in the coming years
• President’s Column – by Nadja Zupan Hajna: “Caves and Karst Globally”
• Proposal for UNESCO Caves and Karst Day Proclamation
• The UIS International Year of Caves and Karst 2021/22 UIS: An Early Summary
• Another Mulu expedition in November 2023
• Guidelines for Cave and Karst Protection: Updated and Translated
• United Nations: Conferences and speleology
• Statement of the German Speleological Federation for the UN Water Conference 2023
• UIS Delegation in Brazil: The present and future of international speleology on the agenda
• A Visit to Ouro Preto and its historic mining area, Minas Gerais, Brazil
• The Austrian Academy of Sciences: A New affiliated organization of the UIS
• UIS Informatic Commission: Opportunity to advance cave documentation
• UIS Informatic Commission: UIS online glossary now available
• UIS Arts and Letters Commission: Embark on an inspiring journey
• 14th International Cave Rescue Conference in Spain
• France Habe Prize 2022
• France Habe Prize 2023
• France Habe Prize 2024: Call for applications
• Expedition supported by the UIS: International Bio-speleological Expedition Sud 2023
• Expedition supported by the UIS: International expedition Albania Valbona 2023
• Event under the patronage of UIS: International conference Speleo-Austria 2023
• Expedition under the patronage of UIS: Shuanghe 400 expedition in China
• Event Supported by the UIS: Sternes 2023 expedition in Crete
• A New Unesco World Heritage on an evaporitic karst area of Italy
• Minutes of the UIS virtual Bureau meeting on February 9, 2023
• Minutes of the UIS Bureau meeting in Brazil (July 2023)
• In memoriam – Shou-Yue Zhang (China)
• In memoriam – Zhu Xuewen (China)
• In memory of František Skřivánek (Czech Republic)
• In memorian – Alexander Borysovych Klimchouk (Ukraine)
• Calendar of Events
• UIS Bureau 2022/2025
• List of UIS Member Countries
• Annual Contributions and Bank Account

We are glad to share with you the First Circular of the 19th International Congress of Speleology, to be held in Brazil in 2025!
https://www.speleo2025.org/assets/arquivos/19th-ICS-First-Circular_Digital_October-2023.pdf

The changing barn on Priddy Green is now ready for use. A more detailed account will appear in due course in the CSCC newsletter. Many thanks are owed by us all to those who did all the work. Here are two photos - a before and an after. I hope you can tell which is which.

QUIZ NIGHT IN AID OF MENDIP CAVE RESCUE. To beat the winter Blues, Estelle (BEC) has arranged an MCR Cavers’ quiz night at the Hunters’ Lodge. It will take place on Saturday 20th January 2024, start time 19:30hrs. Teams of up to six are invited. Everyone is welcome, with fantastic prizes, and egos to be made and destroyed!
Can your club get a team together to join the fun, and raise money for an excellent cause?
£2 per person entry fee. All monies to MCR.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.

Here is a quick update on the renovation of the Priddy Green changing barn. Wayne and those who have turned up to help have largely completed the work. All that remains now is some paintwork to the new floor. A first coat has been applied, but it needs more, and it takes quite a while to dry properly. The second coat will be put on over the next couple of days but it must be left to cure properly. It would be sensible to assume the barn will be ready to use by the beginning of January.

Swildons Barn - the work continues.

Following on from the great progress from last weekend, we now need to repair, replace and prep the joists ready to install the new floor.

Ideally we need four volunteers for Saturday (from 9:30am) and four for Sunday (from 10:00am). Alan Butcher is supervising the work, so don't worry if you feel you don't have any relevant skills as Alan will find you a job to do.

Also, it now seems likely the work will spill over into the following weekend (25th / 26th ) so if you can't make this weekend how about the following one?

Either email me at [email protected] or just turn up when you are free.

Regards
Wayne

CSCC NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED

The November Newsletter has emailed to all those on the mailing list. You can download a copy from the CSCC website.

CSCC Newsletter November 2023

In preparation for 2024, the BCA has committed to adopting more environmentally friendly practices by reducing the distribution of plastic cards. Currently, the BCA sends out over 7,000 plastic cards annually, with the majority being club caving member cards.

These plastic cards have a short lifespan of just one year and generate additional waste through envelopes and packaging, along with the carbon footprint associated with their distribution. In place of these plastic cards, the BCA will introduce electronic membership cards for the upcoming year. These electronic cards can be saved to your mobile device or printed as a hard copy, depending on your preference.

Similar to the current plastic cards, individual BCA members will receive their electronic cards directly from the BCA, while club cavers will receive theirs through their caving clubs. We are confident that the majority of our members will welcome this change, though we will still provide plastic cards for 2024 upon request, subject to card stock availability.

We have already communicated this news to club membership representatives, and the initial response has been overwhelmingly positive, especially from larger clubs that will no longer need to mail out over 200 cards each year. This transition is excellent news for the environment, for the BCA, and for club membership representatives. However, it may come as a slight inconvenience to those cavers who have relied on their BCA cards as impromptu ice scrapers for their windshields over the years!

Did any Somerset area caver leave this at the Somerset Earth Science Centre in the last week or so? Spotted today and currently in the care of the staff there.

*URGENT*
Call for Inspection for the Petzl ASTRO and CANYON GUIDE harnesses!

https://m.petzl.com/INT/en/Professional/recalls/2023-10-25/Call-for-inspection-for-the-ASTRO-and-CANYON-GUIDE-harnesses?utm_campaign=%5BB2C%5D+ASTRO-CANYON+CRISIS&utm_content=%5BNEWSLETTER-B2C%5D%5BEN%5D%5B2023-web-animation%5D%5BCTA1-Astro&utm_medium=email&utm_source=sfmc

The 2023 JRat Digging Award event takes place in Priddy on November 25th. Read more here:

The 2023 JRat Digging Award Presentation Sat 25th Nov. 2023 19:30, Long Room, Hunter's Lodge Inn, Priddy

Access to Singing River Mine in Shipham has been restored with a new access agreement. Read more here:

Singing River Mine Access has been restored with a new agreement.

The welcome annual long awaited event of The Mendips.
something for everyone

The August 2023 newsletter is now available to read online: https://mailchi.mp/55d9a2619e5e/cscc-may-2023-newsletter-10372834?e=96a63926a1

A PDF version will be put onto the website in due course - I will advise when this is available.

The CSCC ran an SRT training session on the tower at the Wessex Cave Club hut this past weekend.

On Saturday they covered various techniques on the tower, then on Sunday it was off down Hunters Hole to consolidate. Dave Keegan says "Well done to those who took part, some excellent progression and skills you'll be able to use on trips in the future!"

ATLAS 50th ANNIVERSARY BBQ WEEKEND

Dave King, ATLAS digger, invites you to a weekend of digging, caving and two BBQs.

2023 is the 50th Anniversary of the Association of Thrupe Lane Advanced Speleologists (ATLAS).

The ATLAS diggers have been involved with many digs over the last 50 years including Thrupe Lane Swallet, Honeymead Hole, Little Crapnell Swallet, Hobnail Hole, Fernhill Cave, Viaduct Sink, Thrupe Swallet to mention more than a few, and are still actively digging twice a week.

We are inviting the caving community to join us in celebrating ATLAS's 50th Anniversary over the weekend of 15th/16th July at Thrupe Lane Swallet.

At lunchtime on both Saturday and Sunday there will be a 'Bring your own fodder' BBQ. Caving opportunities will be available (possibly pre-rigged) visiting Hobnail Hole, Thrupe Lane Swallet and the lesser visited Thrupe Swallet. In addition to the BBQ and caving there will be some much needed clearing of the stream channels that will help to keep both Hobnail Hole and Thrupe Lane Swallet open and accessible. We have some tools in the Ferret Shed, but feel free to bring your own including shovels, spades & wheelbarrows.