Newsletter Spring 2003

BCC Newsletter Spring 2003

At last a new newsletter, the increasing time pressures on the editor with his new job and family commitments have meant an unavoidable delay in the publication of the newsletter, sorry!

With this Newsletter is the Meets List for 2003, the emphasis being on permit trips. The committee felt that as previous meets list had increasingly acted as only a guide for the actual trips that took place, the published list would feature only the permit trips. The rest of the vacant "slots" will be filled with the usual mix of trips organised at the last minute. To find out what trips are taking place then either turn up on Thursday night at the Club Hut or contact any of the committee members. If you have any special preferences for a trip venue then again tell the committee and we’ll fix something up.

Are now due please send or give your subscriptions for 2003 to either the Secretary or Treasurer (or any committee member). The prompt payment of subscriptions enables the club to continue its work both for its members and the wider community both local and in the caving world.

At the 2002 Annual General meeting the BCC committee was voted in as follows:

Chairman – Simon Mitchell
Secretary – Peter Wilson
Treasurer – Shaun Purser
Tacklemaster – Chris Bosomworth
Librarian – Kevin Nuttall
Editor – Wayne Brown

Any member of the committee can be contacted by e-mail using title@burnleycavingclub.org.uk (for example secretary@burnleycavingclub.org.uk). Alternatively telephone the Editor for contact numbers.

The committee continues to meet monthly on the second Thursday of the month at the Club Hut come along to see your committee in action, or to raise any points.

Simon Mitchell settled into the role as Chairman last year after Nick Earnshaw stepped down. Shaun Purser at that time took on the role of Librarian and has now vacated the post to undertake the role of Treasurer as Trevor Howarth has retired from the role. Kevin Nuttall (Garth) has taken on the reins of the Librarian.

Both Nick and Trevor have given many years of service to BCC; Trevor in particular has been Treasurer for over twenty years. The committee wishes to record its thanks for their many years of dedication and service to BCC, it is hoped that both will continue their association with the club and will so benefit from their many years of experience.

The library catalogue is in the process of being updated by our new librarian Garth, a process started by the previous librarian Shaun. The last comprehensive update was in 1992 by Jack Nadin.

Since then a number of items have gone missing from the library; if you have any library items at home or know where any of them are please contact the Librarian. Both the old and the new library catalogues are available either on paper or on the BCC website.

The 1992 library catalogue is in the Members Area of the website, please contact the Editor for details of how to access the Members Area.

The Library continues to acquire new publications for use by members and its services have been used recently by members living as far a way as Australia, by other caving clubs and even by research students completing their theses.

A report by Keith Taylor of the 2001 Annual Dinner:

Saturday 10th November 2001 saw the members and friends of the Club, meeting at the Goat Gap Inn for the Annual Dinner.

We almost didn't make it, as our camper van broke down in the middle of Burnley.

But thanks to the National Breakdown, we arrived, just in time to have a beer or two before the meal started.

The service at the bar and in the dining room was very slow. The Landlord explained that he has had huge problems trying to get and keep staff. The Foot and Mouth crisis had hit hard, with staff having to be laid off because business had been practically non existent all year.

Everybody seemed to accept the situation, and we all exercised a little more patience, and it certainly did not spoil the night.

Because there were so many of us, tables had been laid upstairs and there was quite a lot of good-natured banter between the downstairs diners and those in the "cheap seats".

Before the meal, I was asked to go round the assembled crowd and the rest of the pub and sell raffle tickets. The prizes being donated by club members.

I had won one of the prizes last year. It consisted of a foul smelling candle, made into the shape of a meat pie. I decided as a joke to make a plinth for it and have it engraved "Burnley Caving Club Annual Meet Pie", and enter it again this year (and hopefully make an annual tradition of it).

After the meal, which everybody seemed to enjoy, the President said a few words and then it was time for the Chairman, Nick to announce the winner of the Clubman of the Year.

To my utter astonishment and huge delight, the honour was given to me. I was absolutely thrilled and unusually for me - speechless.

It was then time to draw the raffle. All went well until the last prize. The number was called, and before I could stop her, my wife Barbara's hand shot up. She had only won the blasted candle that we had entered into the draw! (Her excuse was that in the excitement of winning something, she had forgotten which prize was left).

So now we both have Burnley Caving Club trophies on our bedside tables!

Then the main event of the evening. Our guest speaker Andy Walsh, gave a very interesting talk and slide show about the digging and opening of Notts Two.

Some of the slides were hand drawn, and we had lots of giggles about those. It was all hugely enjoyable.

We then set about trying to drink the place dry. Garth led the community singing and we were all in good voice.

Our escapologist friend, Greg was with us again this year. He spent the entire night singing and drinking with us, and even managed to take photographs all night.

By 2.30am, he was practically begging us to chain him up again (as he had been last year).

I told him that I had some strong padlocks in the van, and that I would get them.

Needless to say, I didn't - and Barbara and I staggered to bed. We had booked breakfast at 9am. So, feeling a little queasy - our nausea was not helped by the sight that met us in the pub when we turned up for breakfast.

There was poor Greg - semi-naked - and chained up like Marley's Ghost. Of course, the person who had done this dastardly deed- for the second year on the trot - had already left, taking with him the spanner for the M/R'S, that were securing the chains.

Luckily for Greg, I managed to set him free with the aid of my trusty molegrips - A GREAT NIGHT.

A report is still awaited for the 2002 Annual Dinner held at the Flying Horseshoe Clapham, anyone fancy doing one? Please send any contributions to the Editor.

A couple of trip reports from 2001; more trip reports needed please send any contributions to the Editor.

09/12/01.

7.30 am blurry eyed after moderate to excessive lager food and late night pizza consuming; caving is not always the best cure. But anyway after pulling myself up and crawling to get a strong cup of tea (the type the spoon stands up in) and liberal helping of sugar I was ready for anything!

Managed to drive without incident and arrived at Bernie's cafe at, wait for it 9 o'clock, thus followed more tea (of somewhat weaker variety but with just as much sugar). And yes you've guessed it a special breakfast, which seemed to be the order off the day with at least five on the table. But by now the effects of the night out were wearing off, as I was feeling good - average so anyway about 10.30 we arrived on Leck fell to discover no parking spaces left and Simon stuck in mud in a not so shiny new car.

I think someone stupid enough to get up at 7.30 after a night out and go potholing deserves the punishment of taking all their clothes off on top off a mountain in December on a frosty morning to go down a wet cold cave (well its their own stupid fault)

After Wayne, Keith, Shawn, Will and Alec, went to Notts 2 and me, Simon, Paul and Bill went to Lost Johns down to the stream way after Paul and Simon set off first. It took until the Battleaxe Traverse to catch them up once in the stream way we went upstream to a bolder choke which looked somewhat unhealthy. We found a way up to the right and discovered an equally unhealthy calcited bolder choke which did have some amazingly clean pretties

On the way back we split up and formed a convoy out of the cave with Simon and me doing the derigging. The only point is Bill was going up the second big pitch he was making enough strange grunting and groaning noises that any farmer that heard that on his land, would have either have gone and had a good look or shot it on sight. But after all that a good time was had by all complemented by beer and chips can't be a bad thing.

Brian Braithwaite

23/12/01.

Thought I would give you an update from today's trip. It was cold, Brian was cold and I was cold as we sat at the bottom of the first pitch of Rowten waiting. Oh how we waited and waited and waited until Brian was caught in a moment's action and decided to exit the cave after freezing his nadders off. As for the others they proceeded to penetrate the chasm until they to became cold and left the cave later on, after a typical Burnley epic. As for Brian and me we did " another", cave with mud and every thing; pretties and an interesting traverse down Illusion Pot. We had a good poke about and found that sump was passable, if you kept your head to one side. Brian thought that it was a better to just submerge his head in freezing water, he didn't splutter very much. On leaving the cave we enjoyed Petzl suit sledging, which involves launching yourself down a slope using the force of gravity and the reliance of having a decent padded arse to lessen pounding, I hit a rock or two. Later on we all met up at the Marton Arms for a pint.

Bill Sherrington.

From "The Citizen" November 22 2001. Ex-miner Jack recalls town's blackest day.

On the morning of Thursday March 22, 1962, Burnley suffered its worst colliery disaster in its long history of coal mining.

A methane gas explosion ripped through Hapton Valley Colliery killing sixteen men while another three died later.

The horror of the huge blast sank the town into a state of shock and memories of the tragedy still live on today.

Now former miner turned local historian Jack Nadin, who has written several books on the mines of East Lancashire, has completed what is thought to be the first full book dedicated to Hapton Valley Colliery and the disaster.

Published in time for the fortieth anniversary of the disaster, Jack will donate the proceeds of all sales to Hapton Valley Colliery Disaster Fund.

Every year on the nearest Sunday to the anniversary, a procession makes its way up Rossendale Road to Burnley Cemetery.

A service is held at the memorial that the Disaster Fund organises and pays for. Healthy sales of this book would ensure the continuation of the service for many years.

Jack worked in the mine from 1964-1970, arriving two years after 'Burnley's Blackest Day'. He remembers what it was like stepping into the boots of the men who died.

He said: "I think it did have an effect on morale at the pit. Even two years later there was quite an atmosphere."

Jack left the mine in 1980, two years before its eventual closure. Although it is more than twenty years since he left the pit for the last time he has never forgotten his time there and the camaraderie he shared with his fellow miners.

And he believes the memory of the disaster should be kept alive in respectful reverence.

"I think it is very important, even though it is forty years on, that we should not forget it.

There are still a lot of relatives around. People who were children then and lost fathers are now grown up.

If every ex-miner in east Lancashire bough a copy it would ensure the future of the Disaster Fund for many years."

Our tacklemaster Chris Bosomworth is moving house in February 2003. Business for borrowing and collecting BCC caving gear will continue as before, except that people will have to travel to Earby to collect the stuff not Colne.

Just after Christmas thieves stole a quantity of caving gear from your Editors back yard shed. So if you’re offered any suspect second hand caving gear the Editor and Colne police want to know about it.

Dave Farnsworth BCC member from Shipley has completed his advanced first aid training enabling him to practice hospital acquired first response skills in the field. Part of the cost of the course was paid from by a small grant from BCC funds. Dave is going to give a small presentation about the course to BCC members at a future date.

Simon Mitchell and Peter Wilson are about half way through installing a new climbing wall for use in the clubs training tower. This was acquired from the Barden school wall at a knock down price and will be a valuable addition to the facilities available to BCC members.

Simon is hoping to do some SRT self rescue and assisted rescue techniques training in the tower later in the year.

The February 2003 issue of the Dalesman features Mr & Mrs Bayes of the Penyghent café at Horton where they have been since 1966. The Bayes are long friends of BCC being associate members of the club and friends of many members. Additionally they take on the job annually of storing the Trevor Rambadt seat in their garage and play a large part in its on-going maintenance.

George Perfect died peacefully at home over the Easter Period 2002. Members of the club have known George from the early days of the club and there are many tales to be told. Trevor Rambadt the club chairman recalled in the clubs 21^st Anniversary Journal 1970.

George has been a guest and speaker at the club dinners, 40^th Anniversary and 50^th Anniversary dinners. We have participated on a few occasions at the Horton In Ribblesdale Sports days, where George was a organiser he devised the three ended football games where three teams play trying to score in the opposing teams goal nets. I remember George in the stocks where he gamely sat while the local children pelted him with wet sponges. George will be greatly missed.

By Peter Wilson

Ever since the earliest days of Burnley Caving Club, we have had a wonderful relationship with George Perfect and both past and present members received the news of his death with great sadness.

Our association with Horton-in-Ribblesdale goes back to those days and right up to the present time, and George was the catalyst that cemented that relationship.

He was instrumental in helping us to secure the fourteen-year tenancy of the Bungalow at Selside that became the clubs headquarters and Dales hostel. Also he was very much involved in securing the use of the old Pinfold as a permanent site for the memorial bench seat in memory of Trevor Rambadt.

A man of great character, well known and respected throughout the dales, being involved with many activities concerning the community of Horton village.

At our two main reunion dinners i.e. the forty-fifth and fiftieth anniversaries, George was our guest speaker and on both occasions the hundred or so members and guests were regaled by his inimitable sense of humour.

A lovely man, he will be sadly missed.

In May 2002 on of our founder members Gerald Kelly died after what appeared to be a short illness, although the underlying reason was cancer which he probably suffered a longer period.

He was one of the prime movers in establishing BCC and enhancing its reputation in the caving fraternity.

After serving an apprenticeship and working as an engineer, he eventually went to teacher training college and qualified as a teacher of metalwork and history. At this time he met his future wife Mary (who was a college lecturer and who sadly predeceased him two years ago), and under her influence he graduated with a degree from the Open University and retired from teaching as the Head of a department at a Public School.

In the clubs early years he was an active caver and this only declined when he moved to Marple in South Manchester, and although his home overlooked the Derbyshire Dales where he loved to walk, he always maintained a genuine affection for the Yorkshire Dales. He often attended walking weekends which were frequently arranged by a group of older BCC members and which were affectionately referred to as "Gentlemen's Weekends"! Many of these friends and older BCC members attended his funeral.

Once again it is a valued friend that we have lost and we will always remember the happy times we spent in his company.

It is with great regret that we report the death of Noel Coupe in January 2001, at his home in London.

Although Noel was not a founder member of B.C.C he was from the very beginning of the club's life a most valuable inspiration in the formation of the club, and a mentor in its development over the years.

At the clubs inaugural meeting he became a member. He had vastly more experience of caving and potholing than any of the founders, having been a keen member of B.S.A. for many years, being involved in the initial discovery of Lancaster Hole and many others.

He stressed the importance of good club management by creating a library, the importance of a newsletter, manufacture of ladders and caving equipment to name but a few.

He was a natural leader, and his advice was often sought and readily given on all aspects of caving both in this country and abroad.

By profession an aeronautical engineer he eventually moved from the production side to the sales side of the industry and travelled the world selling Rolls Royce aero engines to the world's airlines.

We valued Noel as a good friend and companion and his many colleagues both in caving and other walks of life will sadly miss him.

Our sympathies are extended to his widow Sheila and to David and Kathryn.

Noel Coupe had requested that when he died, he would like to have his ashes scattered on the top of Ingleborough.

This was going to be done by his son David and daughter Katherine in 2001/2 but because of Foot and Mouth restrictions and other reasons it was delayed.

In the meantime, Gerald Kelly died, and Noels widow Sheila, attended his funeral, along with several other caving friends from the 1950's and 60's.

Gerald had no other living relatives apart from one very elderly sister who was blind; he and Mary had no children.

Sheila Coupe made the suggestion that as there was no way she could walk to Ingleborough summit, she would to arrange to charter a helicopter to do this, and at the same time take the ashes of Gerald and his wife Mary and scatter these along with Noels.

These arrangements were put in hand, and on Sunday June 2nd 2002, the helicopter made two journeys from Coniston Cote Hotel, West Marton, and shuttled ten people to the top of Ingleborough; where in a high wind and driving rain a small but fitting ceremony was enacted, with Sheila saying a few appropriate words.

Geoff Richmond and Raymond Haffner felt it an honour to be invited with Noels family, to be included in the party to participate in this quite moving and sincere occasion, as they were both friends of long-standing from Burnley Caving Clubs early days.

It is with great sadness that we report the death of Roy Swindlehirst. At the age of seventy-one he died after a short illness in the Burnley and Pendle Hospice on January 27th 2003.

When Burnley Caving Club was formed in 1952 he was one of the first persons to become a member. He was already a member of Craven Pothole Club and joined BCC bringing the benefit of his caving experience to our fledgling club.

He was a highly respected and well liked character in the caving fraternity both locally, nationally and internationally; having been included in several speleological expeditions on the continent of Europe in his capacity as the photographer (another one of his many talents).

Nearer to home in the Yorkshire Dales he quickly developed a reputation in the caving world as a tenacious, but prudent caver, with boundless enthusiasm and skill in negotiating tight passages and pitches in the most testing situations.

A member of the Cave Rescue Organisation in the sixties he was involved in many rescues including John Frankland in Penyghent Pot and Neil Moss in Peak Cavern Derbyshire.

He will be sadly missed by his many friends both in and out of caving and our thoughts and condolences go to his wife Irene and his family Carl, Sonia and grandchildren.

By Raymond Haffner.

I first met Roy on my first caving weekend in spring 1968 with the club on a trip down Marble Steps Pot. This was a great experience for me; we were using the clubs electron ladders. These ladders had been well used, a testament to the number of hard caving trips they had done. Roy who was a member from the clubs beginning was a leading caver. His early caving trips were done with some of the Yorkshire Dales most premier cavers. He was on the early Gouffre Berger expeditions, then the deepest cave explored in the World.

We had an eventful trip down Marble Steps Pot. One of the ladders had three slipped rungs, now Roy was a powerfully built man but being only five foot tall this caused a problem for him. Jim who had a rope sling solved the problem. This event added to the good fellowship of the party. The party was Roy Swindlehurst, Jim Penny, Terry Wilkinson, Tony Dickinson, John Gregory & myself. Roy didn’t cave much in subsequent years but always maintained a strong bond with the club. Roy's ready smile, friendly banter and friendship will be dearly missed.

Our deepest sympathy goes to Irene and his family.

By Peter Wilson

Photo Great Stal Pol-an-Ionain

My involvement with Roy unfortunately only spanned a couple of evenings spent with him and his wife looking through his old photographs, press cuttings and caving memorabilia and listening to his recollections of his many caving exploits, both personal and with the CRO. He was good enough to lend me some of his material for use on the BCC website and in the newsletter.

I always meant to revisit him to gather and record his memories for use in a future article but other things and then news of his illness precluded this. All that’s left now is the regret that I didn’t arrange another meeting and that I didn’t take notes of the talks I had with him, because what a wonderful article his adventures would have made. Caving has lost one of its great characters.

With the tacklemaster being busy preparing for his house move and the loss of the editors caving gear (now replaced); at least these two members have done very little caving this year. Hopefully that is due to change and a packed caving schedule is promised for the Spring and Summer months. But to find out what is planned attend the club hut on a Thursday evening (and the pub afterwards) so you can join in.

The committee has debated at length the future of the newsletter in view of the Editors increasing work and family commitments and his greater involvement in the maintenance of the BCC website and internet traffic.

It has been decided that the future format of the newsletter will be in the shape of a sheet arrangement as this one is (though probably of less content!). Hopefully it will be published four times a year to coincide with the seasons. Larger scale publications of the size of the earlier yellow covered may be published perhaps annually.

However all the above are dependent on two factors – first myself having enough time to do the job and more importantly contributions from the membership; I look forward to being inundated with articles from you!

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