Hi all,

Some further details about the training on offer at CHECC this year. If you are interested in anything mentioned below, please contact me at checc.committee AT gmail.com. Don't wait for your club to sign you up...be proactive!

Photography:
(Sat & Sun - depending on numbers). Led by the award-winning Stuart Gardiner, who will run through some of the techniques above ground. Then the opportunity to put them in to practise below ground. You don't need a super fancy camera to get good cave photos, a small handheld camera can get some amazing photos. There is also a photo competition this year, so why not get help from one of the best!

SRT:
(Sat & Sun). Perfect for if you are new to SRT, or have done it for years and want to learn more. There is no set syllabus, so whatever you want to learn...we will do our best to teach you. Basics, rigging, rope rescue, etc. Please bring an SRT kit with you. If your club does not have any to borrow, please let me know ASAP! Opportunity to go underground as well, so please bring caving kit.

Rescue Training:
(Sat only). This has proved to be a very popular course in the past, with some great feedback. This will be run by Mendip Cave Rescue in Fairy Quarry, in a series of workshops. No prior experience necessary! If you have just started to cave, or have been for years, this is an awesome opportunity to learn about what happens during a cave rescue. Even if you don't want to get involved with cave rescue yourself, knowing what the rescue teams will be doing should you ever find yourself needing them could be very useful.  (Caving kit required, as well as warm clothes for the surface). Places will be limited, so get in touch if you want to come along.

Survey Training:
(Sun only). Led by Andrew Atkinson, one of the best cave surveyors in the country (award winning!). For any of you thinking about going on expedition next year, this course could be of great use. Being able to map caves well, not only allows you to better understand the cave, but combined with other surveys, could allow you to find more passage! (Don't forget, that CHECC has survey kit to lend out, so even if your club doesn't have gear there is no excuse).

Any questions, get in touch!
Stuart

ALSO: I will be standing down as training officer this year. If you are interested in taking over, please get in touch. You don't have to do any of the training yourself (unless you want to), as there are plenty of people willing to volunteer to help CHECC.

Socialrobot said:

Rescue Training:
(Sat only). This has proved to be a very popular course in the past, with some great feedback. This will be run by Mendip Cave Rescue in Fairy Quarry, in a series of workshops. No prior experience necessary! If you have just started to cave, or have been for years, this is an awesome opportunity to learn about what happens during a cave rescue. Even if you don't want to get involved with cave rescue yourself, knowing what the rescue teams will be doing should you ever find yourself needing them could be very useful.  (Caving kit required, as well as warm clothes for the surface). Places will be limited, so get in touch if you want to come along.

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I hope that I can speak on behalf of all the MCR wardens and helpers today to thank all the CHECC cavers that took part in the training sessions at Fairy Cave Quarry today.  It was a blast to show you the ropes (radios etc.)!  Take care, and we all hope never to see you underground in our "professional" capacity. 

Thank you so much, Duncan and MCR for putting on the Rescue Training session at the CHECC Forum. Both last weekend and at the Southern CHECC Forum earlier this year, we had lots of feedback from students saying how much they enjoyed and how much they learned during the session. I quizzed some of the Imperial College Caving Club members on the drive back to the venue, and it was clear that they got a lot out of it. We are very grateful to the MCR team for their time and effort!