York Caving Club celebrates 10 years

GarDouth

Administrator
On Saturday 9th February 2019, York Caving Club celebrated our ten year anniversary! :beer:

We formed on the 1st January 2009, although our first trip didn?t happen for nearly two months; a highly unsuccessful trip down Growling Hole, involving two members making it underground (just), two members not, and one getting wedged in the entrance by a giant Toblerone.

Five of us, all active cavers with York University Cave and Pothole Club, saw a need to try to keep some of the older (i.e. non-student) cavers engaged with the sport. The club was thus formed to try to ensure people could continue with caving beyond the university club, while still being available to help the students out when required. It was a slow first five years but we kept at it, trying all different strategies to encourage people to get involved. Over the past 3-4 years in particular the club has flourished with new members. Going into 2019, we have 29 members, the majority of who are underground regularly.

Caving in York is truly thriving, both via York Caving Club, and also YUCPC ,which continues to go from strength to strength thanks to the student?s enthusiasm and hard work.

We celebrated our anniversary with a trip to Excalibur Pot, which was a joint YCC/Scarborough CC discovery in 2007 (actually before YCC was formed, but the same people were involved). The landowner had given thumbs up to a larger than normal group for the occasion, and we ended up with 13 members down the cave. It was in flood, and usually we advise against descending in these conditions. However, after ten years digging there, we had sufficient confidence in the hydrology, knowing what bits are passable, and recognising the underground signs of rising/abnormal water, to head down there. We had a great wet trip to the well decorated main streamway.

In the evening about 25 members and guests met at The Black Swan in York for a ?Pie and Pud? dinner plus beer, a presentation from founder members, and then cutting of a lovely chocolate cake.

It was great to see such a fantastic turnout, and a thoroughly enjoyable and successful evening. Thank you to all of our members, past and present, who have supported the club for the last ten years and helped to keep York on the caving map. We?re looking forward to many more adventures over the next ten years!

(2nd photo is four of the five founder members)
 

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Congratulations to you all at York CC.
Its hard work getting a new club off the ground and you've clearly done well.
Neil
CavefestUK
 

kay

Well-known member
I had no idea you were such a young club - I assumed on the basis of your activities you were an old club going back decades. Congratulations!
 

Cavematt

Well-known member
Hi Kay. Caving certainly isn't new to York... there was the York Speleo Group in the 1970s then York Uni CPC formed in 1981. But York Caving Club is indeed much newer. I'm taking it as a complement that it appears we've been around longer and that we must appear to know what we're doing (looks can be deceiving) ;)

Matt Ewles (YCC Chair)
 

droid

Active member
The irony.

I can remember a time when the nascent YUCPC invited local cavers to support them.

It's good to see things go full circle.
 
Congratulations to everyone at York C.C. on your first decade.
From past and present members of the Earby (y)
 

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