South Wales Caving Club is pleased to announce that it has recently completed the purchase of around seven acres of land including the entrance to Ogof Ffynnon Ddu I.
At the end of 2010 the club was approached by the Toye family, who have owned the cottage and land at Y Grithig for many years, and they explained that they had reluctantly decided to sell the property. They asked if we were interested in buying a parcel of land to include not just OFD 1 but also Powell’s Cave and other sites of speleological interest. A site meeting was held to discuss potential boundaries, and it was clear that this was a one-off opportunity to secure permanent access to, and conservation of, one of the UK’s most important caves. However, the sum of money involved represented a significant outlay for a club with limited reserves and it was essential that the club’s committee consult with the wider membership before proceeding.
Our members recognized the unique nature of the opportunity and were overwhelmingly in favour of the purchase.
We were fortunate to secure a grant from the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW), amounting to 25% of the purchase price, and SWCC would like to record our thanks for this. A significant proportion of the balance has come from donations from individual SWCC members, and we are planning a major fund-raising event for the autumn to reduce the impact of the purchase on club funds.
The purchase was completed at the end of July. As far as we are aware this is a ‘first’ in British caving; we can’t think of another club that actually owns a cave entrance.
Our parcel of land has now been fenced, and on 3rd August a ceremony took place at the cave entrance to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the cave’s discovery. A plaque in memory of our late President, Peter Harvey, was placed and the Toye family were invited guests.
A couple of points of housekeeping: for the time being, existing rules of access to OFD I continue. The leadership system has served the cave and cavers well for many years. However, as mentioned in an earlier post, cavers must not use the traditional route through the cottage garden to get to the cave. For details of the new route see the ‘sticky’ post at the top of the ‘Wales’ board. Your co-operation is appreciated.
Source: UK Caving
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
SWCC owns Ogof Ffynnon Ddu I
South Wales Caving Club is pleased to announce that it has recently completed the purchase of around seven acres of land including the entrance to Ogof Ffynnon Ddu I.
At the end of 2010 the club was approached by the Toye family, who have owned the cottage and land at Y Grithig for many years, and they explained that they had reluctantly decided to sell the property. They asked if we were interested in buying a parcel of land to include not just OFD 1 but also Powell’s Cave and other sites of speleological interest. A site meeting was held to discuss potential boundaries, and it was clear that this was a one-off opportunity to secure permanent access to, and conservation of, one of the UK’s most important caves. However, the sum of money involved represented a significant outlay for a club with limited reserves and it was essential that the club’s committee consult with the wider membership before proceeding.
Our members recognized the unique nature of the opportunity and were overwhelmingly in favour of the purchase.
We were fortunate to secure a grant from the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW), amounting to 25% of the purchase price, and SWCC would like to record our thanks for this. A significant proportion of the balance has come from donations from individual SWCC members, and we are planning a major fund-raising event for the autumn to reduce the impact of the purchase on club funds.
The purchase was completed at the end of July. As far as we are aware this is a ‘first’ in British caving; we can’t think of another club that actually owns a cave entrance.
Our parcel of land has now been fenced, and on 3rd August a ceremony took place at the cave entrance to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the cave’s discovery. A plaque in memory of our late President, Peter Harvey, was placed and the Toye family were invited guests.
A couple of points of housekeeping: for the time being, existing rules of access to OFD I continue. The leadership system has served the cave and cavers well for many years. However, as mentioned in an earlier post, cavers must not use the traditional route through the cottage garden to get to the cave. For details of the new route see the ‘sticky’ post at the top of the ‘Wales’ board. Your co-operation is appreciated.
Source: UK Caving
At the end of 2010 the club was approached by the Toye family, who have owned the cottage and land at Y Grithig for many years, and they explained that they had reluctantly decided to sell the property. They asked if we were interested in buying a parcel of land to include not just OFD 1 but also Powell’s Cave and other sites of speleological interest. A site meeting was held to discuss potential boundaries, and it was clear that this was a one-off opportunity to secure permanent access to, and conservation of, one of the UK’s most important caves. However, the sum of money involved represented a significant outlay for a club with limited reserves and it was essential that the club’s committee consult with the wider membership before proceeding.
Our members recognized the unique nature of the opportunity and were overwhelmingly in favour of the purchase.
We were fortunate to secure a grant from the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW), amounting to 25% of the purchase price, and SWCC would like to record our thanks for this. A significant proportion of the balance has come from donations from individual SWCC members, and we are planning a major fund-raising event for the autumn to reduce the impact of the purchase on club funds.
The purchase was completed at the end of July. As far as we are aware this is a ‘first’ in British caving; we can’t think of another club that actually owns a cave entrance.
Our parcel of land has now been fenced, and on 3rd August a ceremony took place at the cave entrance to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the cave’s discovery. A plaque in memory of our late President, Peter Harvey, was placed and the Toye family were invited guests.
A couple of points of housekeeping: for the time being, existing rules of access to OFD I continue. The leadership system has served the cave and cavers well for many years. However, as mentioned in an earlier post, cavers must not use the traditional route through the cottage garden to get to the cave. For details of the new route see the ‘sticky’ post at the top of the ‘Wales’ board. Your co-operation is appreciated.
Source: UK Caving