Saturday 25th October 2025

John Cooper, Pete Hann, Kate Lawrence, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. Cool, 10°C, and overcast with a light shower halfway through the session. Last weekend the hauling platform was extended by the addition of the “Diving Platform”. This enables a simple reach out to grab the spoil bucket rather that the awkward swing and pull required previously. Also, partway through this session, the bucket was transferred from the middle of the rope to the end as the haulback line was no longer needed. With Kate at the bottom, as usual, a total of 40 loads of mud and 4 of rocks were hauled out. In addition 2 small newts, 2 toads, 1 frog and a hairy caterpillar were moved to new homes. To complete the session one mix of cement was used to build up the platform at the base of the top ladder. This enabled the top clamps to be moved onto the next to top rung of the entrance ladder. Next jobs are to stop the mud slumping into the pit, which is now 1.5m deep, and to sort out the ever growing gap between the bottom ladder and the middle ladder! 2 hours. John.

Saturday 18th October 2025

Nigel Graham, Pete Hann, Mike Kousiounis, Kate Lawrence, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. Surface work setting up the platform extension. 1 hour.

Adding platform extension. Photo MK.

Saturday 11th October 2025

John Cooper, Nigel Graham, Pete Hann, Mike Kousiounis, Kate Lawrence and Adrian Vanderplank. Nice cool autumn day. Kate to the bottom again continuing to make the pit in the floor bigger. After the first 30 loads of mud Kushy was sent down to break up a couple of rocks Kate had found. The surface support team complained that he didn’t do a very good job as they were still heavy to haul out. Total of 40 loads of mud and 7 loads of rocks hauled out today. One mix of cement was used at the end of the session building up the step at the bottom of the first ladder. Couple of bits of nice broken stal amidst the mud. Hawk moth found on the surface. 2½ hours. John.

Stal. Photo SH. 

Stal? Photo SH.

Saturday 4th October 2025

John Cooper, Nigel Graham, Kate Lawrence, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. Windy and wet with hail today so not really pleasant. Kate to the bottom again making the pit in the floor a workable size. Forty buckets of wet mud and 8 of rocks hauled out today. After the first 20 loads John asked Kate to fill them a little less full and also Adrian was seconded to help with the hauling as well as the emptying. Probably same again next week. Post digging refreshment was curtailed by a callout for Eastwater Cavern. 2 hours.