How Young is Your Club?

[wellyjen]

As a contrast to all the venerable caving clubs in the How Old Is Your Club topic, who has the youngest club? That's time elapsed since it's formation, rather than age of it's members. Have you just started one, or are thinking of doing so? What led you to start it and how did you find the formation process? Every ancient club was once just starting out.

 

[T pot 2]

I posted on another site that B Fox and Dave Allsop started caving in 1953 as the eldon pothole club this was ratified in 1957 at the first committee meeting of said club. I make that 73 years old.
T pot

 

[mikem]

If it's first meeting of club then they are 69 years old, but doesn't get you anywhere nearer youngest

New clubs are less likely to be aware of this forum

 

[Brains]

Myself and a few friends have been dabbling in the underground, and someone suggested we should go official. We are or were in several other clubs, but this new group has been coined as the
Stoke
Mines
Exploration
Group
Other than the name we have no organised structure etc
We may just leave it at that...

 

[Alex]

Out on Rock's first official trip is Feb 2024, we became BCA affiliated Jan 2025, so depending on how you measure it we are one and a half to two and a half years young.

My other club Black Rose Caving Club (which is still limping along) started in Nov 2001 so coming up to 25 years old, not that young, but still modern when compared to the established clubs.

 

[BCA Membership]

BCA has had 4 brand new shiny clubs* join so far in 2026!
These are: LCME, HSI CC, StUCC and Bristol Caving.

However to create an air of mystery and excitement I am not going to tell you which one joined most recently........

*There may be even younger clubs that haven't joined BCA though, but I don't get to hear about them.

 

[BCA Membership]

Out on Rock's first official trip is Feb 2024, we became BCA affiliated Jan 2025,

Out on Rock were kind enough to write an article for the 2025 BCA annual report about getting started as a club.

If anyone is thinking of forming a club BCA are very happy to help!

 

[Samouse1]

The CRESH, Cross Regional Ensemble of Speleological Hooligans, was formed in early 2024, as an amalgamation of two group chats, for the purpose of applying for a permit do go on a holiday to the Berger, which promptly didn't happen.

Two years later we've ~45 members aged 20-35 spread across the country, and active in all aspects of the caving world, digging, sport caving, expeditions, rescue etc. there's even a newsletter, which reminds me I should try make another edition...

 

[RobinGriffiths]

Imaginary/Decoy Clubs. Not worth another new thread, but back in the 90's we used to operate as Stafford Speleos for stealth/piracy purposes. Not that I'm advocating that kind of behaviour.

 

[Mark Wright]

Imaginary/Decoy Clubs. Not worth another new thread, but back in the 90's we used to operate as Stafford Speleos for stealth/piracy purposes. Not that I'm advocating that kind of behaviour.

We were always the Eldon PC when we did that sort of thing.

 

[bagpuss]

BCA has had 4 brand new shiny clubs* join so far in 2026!
These are: LCME, HSI CC, StUCC and Bristol Caving.

However to create an air of mystery and excitement I am not going to tell you which one joined most recently........

*There may be even younger clubs that haven't joined BCA though, but I don't get to hear about them.

Is Bristol caving a name change from the UBSS? https://www.bristolsu.org.uk/groups/bristol-caving-speleological-society

 

[Raymond Bell Fermanagh]

Combined Caving and diving club,est Oct 2025

 

[Brains]

Imaginary/Decoy Clubs. Not worth another new thread, but back in the 90's we used to operate as Stafford Speleos for stealth/piracy purposes. Not that I'm advocating that kind of behaviour.

We were the NCIP, No Club in Particular, on occasion.
I was also in a club for several years who would claim to be Eldon or DCC if challenged

 

[AR]

Imaginary/Decoy Clubs. Not worth another new thread, but back in the 90's we used to operate as Stafford Speleos for stealth/piracy purposes. Not that I'm advocating that kind of behaviour.

I'm told the late Harry Parker used to claim to be from the Attercliffe Literary & Philosophical Society if caught trespassing. A Sheffielder would get the joke, given the denizens of t'cliff were generally given to neither reading or thinking...

 

[Spaniel on crack]

BSCC Birmingham student caving club first trip was April 2023 but we didnt really get of the ground until october 2023. This year is the first year to have none of the original members on committee!

 

[HSI]

07/01/2026 we officially became BCA affiliated (Heighington Shaft Inspectors) I have a feeling we aren't the youngest formed club you should've asked 5 months ago haha

 

[Babyhagrid]

Is Bristol caving a name change from the UBSS? https://www.bristolsu.org.uk/groups/bristol-caving-speleological-society

Its from a disagreement with the SU I believe

 

[Daniel Rose]

Is Bristol caving a name change from the UBSS? https://www.bristolsu.org.uk/groups/bristol-caving-speleological-society

A way of dealing with attempts from the student union to limit UBSS’s autonomy. UBSS still exists however current students at the university now belong to Bristol Caving _and_ ubss - access to things like freshers fair and university spaces for storing tackle is achieved through Bristol Caving and its affiliation to the SU, whereas UBSS is no longer affiliated with the SU and therefore not subject to any attempted restrictions.