Advice for existing and prospective Dan yr Ogof Wardens

A         Becoming a warden

You will need to apply to the Committee, filling in the application form, provide a passport type photograph and a cheque to cover the administrative costs. Cheques should be made payable to the Dan Yr Ogof Cave Advisory Committee. The form will also ask for a recommendation from a current warden who you have accompanied on trips into the cave.

You will be accredited as a warden when you have satisfied the Committee that you are familiar with the cave and that you have the skills and knowledge deemed necessary for a warden.

 Warden-permits are renewable every 5 years.

 The Committee reserves the right to refuse persons deemed by them to be unsuitable or who fail to complete the relevant records.

 

B          Duties of wardens

As a warden your duty is to the conservation of the cave. As such you may escort groups of non-warden cavers into the cave in order to advise them how best to proceed in the cave in the best interests of the cave environment and continuing caving activity.

It is your duty to collate the insurance documentation and fill in the required documentation for each trip and to make a report to the Committee of each trip you have escorted into the cave within one week of its completion.

It is your duty to inform all visiting cavers of the nature of the trip that is ahead of them so that each individual may decide if he/she has the competence to continue.

 

C           Access Rules 

The rules governing access to the caves can be found here

 D         Obtaining access

 While the showcave is open the warden will present the pre-access form and warden card to the showcave staff who will allow access unless there is a sound reason to deny it.

The party must first have made arrangements for emergency rescue call-out. All are advised to use the tally board at SWCC’s Headquarters as has been the practice for many years. No check or responsibility will be taken by the Showcave staff or management or by the Cave Advisory Committee for the safety arrangements of individual parties. That is the duty of the party.

While the Showcave is closed a key will be made available on request to a key-holder. The pre-access form should be left in the post box on the showcave side of the ticket office.

  

E          Special circumstances 

There may be occasions on which it is necessary to refuse access (e.g. high water levels). Also it is expected that there will be no more than 3 parties in the cave at any time.

 

F          Conservation activities

All wardens should be prepared to carry out regular conservation tasks such as litter collection and re-taping or to accept occasional requests of a more specialist nature, dependant on the skills of that particular warden or party (e.g. photography, checking on a particular feature, taking scientific samples/readings).

Requests to carry out such work that originate from the wardens themselves will be welcomed.

 G         Insurance

All cavers wishing to access Dan yr Ogof must hold their own BCA Public Liability Insurance cover and be able to give individual original evidence of holding such cover.

 

 

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Last modified: 10-May-2013