Over the May Bank Holiday (from Friday 4th through to Monday 7th May 2018) weekend there will be a Mendip CaveFest taking place in Priddy, a free event that will see a number of visiting cavers enjoying the variety of caving that is on offer in the Mendips, along with a number of talks and demonstrations covering caving techniques.
On the evening of Saturday 5th May, there will be a 'cavers stomp' in Priddy Village Hall with the bar and food for the evening arranged by Mendip Cave Rescue wardens and entertainment provided by DJ Basher. All proceeds from the evening will be donated to MCR funds.
Then on Sunday 6th May Mendip Cave Rescue will be running a series of cave rescue workshops, suitable for anyone who is interested in finding out a little more about the challenges, equipment and techniques used when rescuing an injured caver.
Hidden Earth is the UK's annual caving conference, and Hidden Earth 2017 will be held at Churchill Academy near Bristol over the weekend of 29th September through to 1st October. As it is being held in our backyard, Mendip Cave Rescue will have a stand in the main hall, so please feel free to drop by and say hello. Over the course of the weekend, we will be auctioning an original Robin Gray oil pastel artwork titled "Rift Pitch", which has been generously donated to help raise funds for the MCR.
Last year, a long-standing Mendip Caving Group and Bracknell & District Caving Club member Biff Frith passed away after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. Biff was an enthusiastic and talented Mendip cave digger, and a number of Mendip entrances bear testament to his skill in engineering passageways through areas of slightly dubious stability. During an evening celebrating Biffs life, a number of caving related books from his collection were auctioned off, and the proceeds of £311 have very generously been donated to Mendip Cave Rescue, for which we are very grateful.
Mendip Cave Rescue are once again providing 24 hour first aid cover for the Priddy Folk Festival, where suitably qualified first aiders will be on hand to treat festival goers at any time of the day (or night). The festival runs from Friday 7th July through to Sunday 9th July and is held at various locations around the village of Priddy. The MCR first aid tent will be located on the village green, so please drop by and say hello!
MCR 80th Anniversary Mugs
This year the MCR was 80 years old, and to celebrate we had a party in Priddy Village Hall. We also had some mugs made, featuring a design from Mark 'Gonzo' Lumley and printed in either a red or blue colour. The mugs are currently available from any MCR warden, and are priced at £4 each.