checc

Warmbac

At this point it feels almost like a truism to say that anyone who has spent any time around a caving hut will recognise Warmbac equipment.  I would suggest a drinking game by which you go through student club photo albums during fresher’s week and take a drink every time you see a Warmbac over suit, but I don’t think my consciousness could cope with the physical harm done to any who attempt it.  All joking aside though Warmbac is an independent British business which has been producing high quality and durable equipment for over 50 years and continues to this day.  I think I speak for all of us when I say we really value their support. 

This year Warmbac have kindly donated Kevlar kneepads (I’m a massive personal fan of these) and 12! Personal pouch tackle sacks!

Descent 

That’s right, it’s the magazine of underground exploration!  For those of you who are not aware, Descent is a, dare I say it the, publication for caving matters in the UK (actually I can say that as no other magazines sponsor us haha).  Within each issue you can find a collection of well curated articles, updates from each of the caving regions in the UK, and most importantly for us since issue 295 there has been a CHECC/ Youth section alongside these, headed up by Aila Taylor!  

As it happens, Descent was the first sponsorship correspondence I had when I joined committee!  Descent has been going for a long time and is in it’s third cycle of ownership, now under the reins of Chris and Carol.  They are lovely people, and I can’t thank them enough for their generosity!

This year Descent have kindly donated both vouchers and multiple back issues for the CHECC prize pools.

ActionStash

The newest (in terms of chronological founding date) entry on this list!  Compared with 1939 for Dan-Yr-Ogof show cave, 1952 for Warmbac, and 1969 for Descent, Tom only set up ActionStash in 2023!  Beating the cost of caving crisis is the goal of the store, and they’re currently stocking a wide range of kit including a comprehensive collection of Llandjoff tackle bags and over suits (Llandjoff over suits have very convenient and cool built in suspenders), neoprene wet socks and hoods, knee pads, lights, and even rope protectors!  They offer free UK delivery on orders over £40, and probably most important for those of you who are part of CHECC, students get 10% off all products!

The National Show Caves Centre for Wales

The wild segment of Dan-Yr-Ogof contains some truly delightful caving, and it is always well received by those who have had the privilege to visit. Whilst the show cave side my not provide some of the, how do I put this, physical ‘delights’ of the wider system so revelled in by student cavers, it is nonetheless a lovely day out with something for everyone. The caves themselves are well curated and nicely tell a story laying out the history of their use. Aside from the three caves on display on the site, there is also a nice and informative museum, a variety of activities for younger children, and the oh-so recognisable dinosaurs!

Starless River 

The Starless River traveling shop accompanied by it’s proprietor, Tony Seddon, has been a familiar and welcomed sight at CHECC for a very long time (well maybe not for our wallets).  Tony does an absolutely sterling job at supporting students caving, whether it be through supplying the kit directly, offering timely advice about the kit itself, or offering a puzzled look towards a group discussion and prompting people to rethink their choices.

This year Starless river has kindly donated a Lyon personal tackle sack, and some Warmbac Warmtex kneepads, a Fenix HM50R, and a £50 Starless River voucher!

Red Rose Cave and Pothole Club

The RRCPC own Bullpot Farm, an ideally placed caving hut for the many entrances of the ease gill system. As another bonus the hut has TWO fires! For CHECC goers Bullpot farm is also recognizable as the location of many of the NCHECC’s of the past few years. We are very grateful to RRCPC for allowing CHECC to use their hut as a venue for many previous CHECC events.
This year RRCPC donated 10 bed nights at the farm which ended up being won Jointly by Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff at SCHECC to be put towards their week in Yorkshire over the summer.

Technical Speleological Group

First things first I think the TSG definitely take the prize for having the coolest caving club name in the UK. For anyone who doesn’t know the TSG is based in Castleton in a delightful hut that spits you out directly into the heart of the town; providing a 2 minute walk to the pub, a 10 minute walk to peak cavern or a 1 hour drive to A&E after you get mowed down by traffic by stepping out the hut directly into the main road!
This year the TSG donated two lots of ‘2 nights for 8 people’ at their hut.

Wild Places Publishing

Wild Places Publishing publish and sell a wide variety of caving related publications. They even have a second-hand section allowing you to pick up some true classics that may now be out of print. Wild Places Publishing are perhaps most well known for the publishing of Descent magazine for 25 years from 1998 to 2022.
This year Wild Places Publishing have donated the third edition of Caves of Assynt, and “It’s Only a Game” by Jim Eyre.

UKC

The native internet caving forum for the UK, UKC are long time supporters of CHECC and student caving. In previous years they have sponsored CHECC to the tune of multiple thousand pounds, on top of running their regular forum wide competitions. Their rope competitions especially have also been a welcome sight to many of the university expeditions, where they have provided kilometres of rope, allowing students to push further and deeper into the depths without breaking the bank! The forum itself has also been found again and again to be the ideal place to host the CHECC competitions, a much better structure than any other attempts on social media.

Ingleborough Cave

Another show cave, this one located (you’ll never guess where) next to Ingleborough! As Sponsorship officer I am going to be completely honest with you I have actually never had the pleasure of attending. Fortunately though one of the cool things about Ingleborough Cave is how in recent years it has given employment to many student cavers! They have been able to provide a run down! A range of good formations are there apparently, including flowstone, straws, and columns, and from the electric lighting present they also have Cyanobacteria growing on the walls! What more could you ask for?