joining a club

[joker001]

I have been caving around the mendip area  a while now.  So I thought I best join a local club in the area. But which one is the best one to join and how would one go about joining a particular club.

Any advice would be great.

 

[Les W]

I would suggest you join the Wessex as we have a very nice club headquarters, we are a very active club with many people caving all through the year, we have a wealth of knowledge, a well stocked tackle store, an even better stocked caving library (one of the best on Mendip ), an excellent and much respected Journal and of course a superb training tower.

As to how you join, well, it's very easy. Go caving with a couple of Wessex members (give me a call or pm me if you want) and ask them to propose and second you, fill in the very easy form and part with some money, we'll do the rest.
It is quite expensive to belong to the Wessex but quality doesen't come cheap

 

[joker001]

yes ive had the pleasure of using some of the wessex facilties in the past ie srt tower with mr c**tplaces . Looks a good setup

thanks for that bit of info les w

 

[Les W]

Thanks mate, we are the stellar Artois of caving clubs 

ps I've pm'ed you with my phone no. if you want to discuss anything off forum

 

[cap n chris]

Thanks mate, we are the stellar Artois of caving clubs 

Reassuringly expensive?

 

[underground]

Thanks mate, we are the stellar Artois of caving clubs 

Reassuringly expensive?

Hopefully that Chris. My first reaction was ...'turns you into a vile, belligerent psychopath and makes you feel even worse tomorrow..'

 

[Les W]

Thanks mate, we are the stellar Artois of caving clubs 

Reassuringly expensive?

That is what I was aluding to

 

[cap n chris]

Or.... turns you into a hypothermic gay boy dressed like a girl?.....

http://www.ephinx.com/tvadverts/22/stella-artois-ice-skating-priests-advert.html

 

[darkplaces]

ooo its gone all a bit off topic...

So when wanting to explore caves we keep being told 'join a club join a club'... so when asked the question 'which one' wots the answer apart from mines better then yours. Do any clubs specialize? Are some mine friendly? Do clubs have home grounds they return to, and one of the important questions, which club has more events and is newbie friendly.

 

[cap n chris]

Simple:

If you like Stella, join WCC.
If you like Butcombe, join BEC.
If you like Coffee, join MCG.

 

[joker001]

arh but what about chedder (not cheese)

 

[Les W]

ooo its gone all a bit off topic...

So when wanting to explore caves we keep being told 'join a club join a club'... so when asked the question 'which one' wots the answer apart from mines better then yours. Do any clubs specialize? Are some mine friendly? Do clubs have home grounds they return to, and one of the important questions, which club has more events and is newbie friendly.

All clubs are different, they all have different charecters, different attitudes etc. the best way to join a club is to hang out with some people and see if it is what you want, if not then move on. Most clubs welcome new members, they are after all the life blood of caving.  :hug:

Most clubs have regular meets or expeditions to which they regulaly return. Most clubs have digging or exploration projects and they also tend to associate with an area or a particular cave.
The larger clubs are generally better resourced and there is also a better chance of finding a group of cavers that you can integrate with from within the larger membership pool that they offer.

FYI, the Wessex have regular club meets in all the major and many of the minor caving areas. All members and especially new members are welcome and indead encouraged to attend these. Wessex members are active around the world and at the time of writing this a large proportion of the membership is caving in France and others are about to leave for France at the end of this week. Wessex also regullarly cave at Matienzo in Spain and some Members have an ongoing project in Tenerife. There is also a Wessex contingent off to Greece shortly.

We have pleanty of oportunities for training and as Joker001 pointed out we have a superb Training tower (which is also available to other clubs to use)
The Club also actively supports Hidden Earth with a large number of members helping to organise and run the conference.

The club is also active politically  :read: with representation on all the regional councils, many access committees and also at BCA council level where we look out not only for the intrests of the Wessex but like to think we are looking out for the intrests of the majority of cavers in the UK :-\
We also have many privately organised trips which it is possible to join and also several social events through out the year, culminating in the Annual Dinner in October when about half of our 250 members will attend a 3 course sit down dinner with guest speaker.

 

[Tree Monkey]

Ere Cap 'n' Chris, The Mcg drink more T than that orrible coffee stuff!!  :tease: 

if yo want to go Digging and Caving and join a friendly Cub!  Join the Axbridge!

The best Club with a Cottage has to be the Mendip Caving Group!  They do actually go Caving!! :tease:

 

[martinr]

Simple:

If you like Coffee, join MCG.

It's tea, not coffee.

(From the MCG song:
"Now we've got ourselves a name for brewing tea,
and I must admit we do it liberally;
But while we're tippling tanin,
The scheme that we are plannin',
Is to go back to the BEC for coffee.")

MCG Treasurer

 

[Andy Sparrow]

Simple:

If you like Coffee, join MCG.

It's tea, not coffee.

(From the MCG song:
"Now we've got ourselves a name for brewing tea,
and I must admit we do it liberally;
But while we're tippling tanin,
The scheme that we are plannin',
Is to go back to the BEC for coffee.")

MCG Treasurer

Don't forget the chorus/reprise of the last two words addressed to the BEC...

fuckoffeee!!!

 

[graham]

Don't forget the final two lines from another well known Mendip song:

But worst by far the Wessex are

Exclusively teetotal.

 

[Les W]

Yes Graham but don't forget the following salient points

• a) The song was writen by a BEC member 
• b) It's not true!  :tease:

It's well known that the BEC whilst doing "everything to excess" are these days more inclined towards such excesses as

• Going to bed early "to excess" 
• Not drinking their barrel "to excess"
• forgetting the WCC v's BEC cricket match "to excess" 

I rarely see a "bar room mountaineer" these days, I think the hard men from the BEC have gotten somewhat older and now prefer "drinking cocoa to excess"

 

[cap n chris]

Perhaps they should consider changing their slogan to:

"Everything in moderation, and then some".

 

[danthecavingman]

We are the Wessex Cave Club, no bloody use are we,
We have a half of cider, and then we have to pee,
And when we're down in Swildons and haven't got a light,
We stand beside the Forty beside ourselves with fright.

The B.E.C. they help us, through every pitch and squeeze.
We like the way they do it with such consummate ease.
And when we are much better at caving we agree
It is our one ambition to join the B.E.C.

:tease:

 

[caverholic]

Seems a distinct lack of support for the BEC and the Shepton here.
Is this because they have better things like caving to do with their time?

I would go for one of the clubs in the Priddy locality, because there is more of a caving community there.

My second priority would be the closeness to the Hunters.
Shepton being first, then the BEC, then the Wessex and I'm not sure whos next.

BEC has gained a lot of younger members in recent years fresh out of uni clubs but as they don't live on Mendip it means the hut is quite quiet on most weekend especially out of term time. It does however seem the hut of choice for the uni clubs.

In true game show fashion though

"The choice is yours"  :-\