CHECC Perspective and mini update...
For obvious reasons, a lot of the university clubs have struggled since the pandemic started and has obviously effected numbers. As will become clear, CHECC is optimistic! We've been in regular contact with clubs and the BCA over the months and will continue to support and share innovative ideas to get student cavers back underground and on trips when it is safe to do so.
With the first lockdown conveniently starting a week before what was due to be Southern CHECC 2020, we haven't been in position to run more than one in person events.The one we did was a popular and very well attended training event in Sheffield and are working on similar events in the south of the country!
Virtually, we have held numerous delegates meetings with member clubs where we have collectively discussed their concerns and the best approaches to solving them. The CHECC committee keeps in regular contact with the BCA and updates them with summaries of these meetings. With the help of the CNCC, a document was put together to help student clubs plan caving trips in the Dales!
The legendary annual Forum was due to take place back in November in the Dales. Like everything this year, rather than canceling all together, we instead did the AGM part of the Forum through Zoom (Once again, thanks BCA
). Amazingly, this was a very successful Tuesday even where amazingly we had a record of 22 clubs attending!
As for when university caving clubs will be back in a cave near you, who knows but for sure we will be back! In the coming weeks we have a new logo to look forward to (Competition is still open
https://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=27172.0) and a call for newsletter submission while next year we'll hopefully have a COVID inspired CHECC t shirt, take full advantage of the UNESCO year of Caves and Karst and the continued increase in numbers of student caving!
Once again, uni clubs who need help, CHECC are here to provide you guys aide! Be that through BCA grants, leaders for trips, minibus drivers etc etc!
All the best,
Jacob
CHECCretary