I thought this might be a useful thing to start. Just a place to acknowledge those who who've helped.

A couple from me:

Access wardens and guides, keyholders et al: Everyone who gives up their time; and shoulders some responsibility; copes with the inevitable hassles and my should have been obvious questions, and still remains cheerful easily facilitating access to otherwise restricted systems. Most recently Ann Soulsby (I think  :-[ ) but a lot of others too - you know who you are!

Our committee members, both regional and national, who put in a lot of free time they could be spending underground, arguing of minutiae (and minutes), of what could be very boring but necessary paperwork and drudgery, un-read and un-thought-of by the vast majority of cavers they represent. I don't know who most of you are, but thank you anyway!

And BadLad of course too, for enabling me to procrastinate in such a wonderfully diverse manner!

Thanks to all those people who by doing conservation work both underground and on the surface, putting in stiles, repairing paths and walls in order to help foster the good relations that we have with landowners. And to all those that have developed those good relations by building friendships with landowners which has lead to the increasing welcome that cavers receive. And to all those that have worked hard to encourage and foster access to the countryside which has meant that landowners are now much more accepting of people visiting their land for all outdoor activities including caving.

Thanks to the accumulated history of people who have dug out the caves I have visited and hope to visit - if it wasn't for the hard work of generations, there wouldn't be much to cave in! More recently thanks to the people who have spent their time equipping caves with excellent safe bolting, thanks to which I have had a number of safer and easier caving trips and hope to have many more!

Thanks to the club members who have maintained the huts I have stayed in, caving wouldn't be the same without them - or indeed if they kept the huts closed for members only instead of taking the risk and opening their huts to the wider community

I'd like to thank those on each side of the various CRoW-related debates that can put their case without resorting to *ad hominem* argument, aggressiveness or demeaning comments.

And that is NOT an unsubtle attempt at some sort of political dig.

droid said:

And that is NOT an unsubtle attempt at some sort of political dig.

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Not really in the spirit of the thread though? Could we keep this thread to genuine apolitical gratitude? It was nice while it lasted...

I'll say a huge thanks to all the caving clubs that have let Exeter stay with them whilst caving; often charging next to nothing and offering good company and advice. An extra special thank you to the clubs that offered free hut nights as CHECC prizes, which really helped us out this term when we were struggling for money.

An advanced thank you to Geoff Whittaker for arranging permits for our upcoming trip to Yorkshire, to the RFoDCC and Adrian Fawcett for sorting out an Otter Hole trip for us in May, and to whatever poor country allows us to visit their caves for our summer trip.

Thanks to the DCRO and CHECC committee for the amazing opportunities that they offer student cavers.

&c

A huge thanks to the volunteers, advisors and donators that support the DCA projects and conservation team. The amount of work achieved this year would have been significantly less without you and I am deeply grateful for every minute or cement bag of help given freely.

Pete Knight
DCA Projects

Many thanks to all of those people who stay at all of the huts we have in the UK and keep them thriving from year to year. These Huts really would not survive and be so cheap without your continued support.

I'm always grateful to those who must have collectively spent many hundreds of hours P-bolting (and IC-bolting !) pretty much all the Dales pots.  It's all too easy on a sporting trip to take the bolts for granted - which is a testament to how reliable they are, and well they've been installed.

Hear hear to that!

Just to say thanks to Pete for updating the P8 idiots leap rope

and also to Roy and Co for getting us access to various mines and maintaining them in a reasonable condition

Belated thank you to Mr Binding for a great little visit last Friday. Mendip access? Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Peter Burgess said:

Belated thank you to Mr Binding for a great little visit last Friday. Mendip access? Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

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Good to know you had a great trip - where did you go? Always good to know of interesting places to go at

Thanks to Andy and Rach at caveclimb for some excellent service last week.

After a last minute change of plan for a Wednesday night trip, I found myself short of a tackle bag. Not only did they have the right size in stock, but they delivered it to me at the cave to save me a half hour detour into Cheddar before a long trip, so I could make it back for last orders at The Hunters!

I was slow, I missed last orders, but thanks anyway 

Thanks to Pegasus for these wonderful competitions, the site has come to life with very interesting trip reports!

Thanks to the caving Gods for giving us such interesting and beautiful play grounds to enjoy  :halo: