Clwb Dringo
De Cymru
www.southwalesmountaineering.org.uk
Newsletter, Autumn 2004
Notes from the Editor
You may be thinking that the climbing year is drawing
to a close. Of course for those who own ice axe and hammer the fun is just
about to start. But rock climbers can also look forward to days out over the
coming months. I was transferring the “ticks” from my old guidebook into the
new one. Rather than just ticking a route I’ve always noted the date and who I
climbed with. Looking back through my old guide book it is astonishing how many
routes on Gower were climbed in February! No need to retreat indoors then.
It is, however, a time to reflect back over the last
year. It has, I think, been a good one, a year that has seen the publication of
the new guidebook (at last), a number of new members joining the club and some good
climbing.
SWMC members acclimatising for the big
mountains at Machu Picchu, Peru
But
as well as looking back over the last year, it’s time to look forward to the
next. Some of you will remember writing after last years AGM “I believe in
principle that there should be a turnover in committee membership every year.
The responsibility to run the club should be shared and there’s no reason why
everyone shouldn’t take a turn”. Well
there’s going to be plenty of opportunities for people to take their turn this
year. For various reasons, explained elsewhere in this Newsletter, the positions
of Secretary and Barn Warden are up for grabs. It’s also time for someone else
to take over as Newsletter Editor. If you fancy a go and if you want it, I will
give you all the help I can to get you started. It’s really not that difficult.
If you’d like to talk this over before the AGM, on 17th November 2004, e mail me at jngoodwin@ntlworld.com
or ‘phone me on 029 2030 9056.
Although
I won’t be on the committee next year there is one bit of unfinished business
which I have agreed to complete, that is to draft a Club child protection
policy. You will by now have received your notice of the AGM and with it
proposals from the committee for amending the Club’s constitution. You might
have noticed that one of the proposals is to raise the age at which people will
be allowed to join the Club. You may be wondering then, why we need a child
protection policy.
Whilst
the proposal will prevent children from becoming members of the Club it is not
the intended to exclude children and young people from the Club’s activities. It has always been the purpose of the Club to foster and
encourage interest in mountaineering and climbing and, this being the case, excluding
the next generation of climbers may seem perverse. Many members will, of
course, want to bring their children to Club meets. We have a tradition of
occasional “family meets”. We may even organise specific events for young
people. Provided children are accompanied by a parent or carer, someone who is
taking responsibility for them, this need not be a problem. An unaccompanied
child or young person joining in Club activities raises all sorts of problems
of liability and safety which are not issues when an adult member brings along
their own children. Hence the change: parents can be members, children cannot.
If
you have a view about this or anything else to do with the Club, remember the AGM
is on 17th November, to be held in
The Annual
Dinner will be on 26th November at the Discovery Inn in
John Goodwin
Annual Dinner
Ladies and gentlemen,
You are cordially invited to this year’s SWMC Annual Dinner. To be held at The
Discovery Inn, Celyn Avenue Lakeside,
The choice
of menu is:
Home-made
vegetable soup
or
Prawn
Cocktail
------------------
Roast topside of beef & Yorkshire pudding
or
Salmon
escalope coated in herby breadcrumbs and deep fried
or
Wild
mushroom and brandy sauce parcel
All served
with roast and baby new potatoes and four seasonal winter vegetables
-------------------------------------
Apple Pie
or
Gateaux
--------
Coffee and mints
The evening’s entertainment will be provided by none other than SWMC’s resident
swinger - Andy Rees and his band "The Empire of the Clingons". (Ask
Andy for the explanation).
The whole affair is £17.95 per person. Please can you
send your menu choices and cheques, payable to SWMC, to: Sylvia Noorbhai, 5,
Reports from the committee
Here’s a summary of some of the things the committee
has been beavering away at on your behalf over the last few months, in no
particular order.
The
guidebook finally hit the shelves, something that had occupied many committee
meetings over the past couple of years and still occupied our past Chair even
after he stepped down. The committee is seeking legal advice following receipt
of a letter from someone claiming that they had been libelled by the guidebook
writers. Please believe me; this is not why there are so many committee members
stepping down this year. This is a matter of the utmost triviality (and only
minor amusement).
The
bulletin board was road tested for several months before being launched. A lot
of hard work has gone into this from Tim. The feedback so far seems very
positive. We have changed service provider for web hosting, including the
bulletin board. It is now faster and much more reliable
The committee decided that back copies of the
Newsletter should be placed on the Club’s website. No sooner was it decided
than it was done.
People have commented on that fact that our
membership cards don’t fit easily in their wallets. You need to carry your
membership card with you so that you can claim a discount in outdoor shops (and
sometimes to prove you are entitled to vote at AGM!) so, we set about seeking a
supplier of credit card size membership cards. This kind of thing can take up a
surprising amount of time.
There’s
been the usual search for the best interest rate for the Club’s funds and for
the perennially missing hut keys.
On the subject
of the hut, we’ve been attempting to draw up a list of approved tradesmen to
use for the Club’s hut, Lletty LLywyd, so that we don’t have to resort to
yellow pages when something goes wrong (plumber, roofer, gas engineer etc.). If you have any recommendations please pass them on to a committee
member. We’ve also spent quite a lot of time considering the options for improving
the cooking facilities. A major debate developed over whether or not we should
have an oven.
You will be aware from reading
your AGM notice that the committee has also undertaken a major review of the
Club’s constitution. This had to be revised in any case, for tax reasons, and
when we started to look at it we realised how out of date it had become and so,
a wholesale revision became inevitable. Any amendment to the constitution has
to be approved by the membership at a general meeting. Those attending the AGM
will have the option of approving the reforms as a whole or of approving,
amending or rejecting individual sections.
The BMC
are proposing to increase the rates they charge us for affiliation and
provision of third party insurance cover. The rate is currently £6.25 per
member. Even this means that our concessionary subscription rates, for students
and so on, are subsidised. This will become even more the case when the
proposed increases go through. It has been decided, therefore, that we will
have a new formula for determining subscription rates. The standard membership
rate will be the BMC charge plus £4.25. This will currently amount to £11 i.e.
no change for now. Those entitled to concessions will pay the BMC charge plus
£2.75 or £9 (an increase of £3.50).
Letter from the Barn Warden
This
is my last letter as Barn Warden since I will be stepping down at the AGM in
November: pressure of (paid) work has finally triumphed, but four years in the
post is not a bad innings. If you are interested in taking up the post from
November onwards and would like to discuss what’s involved, please give me a
call on 01792 527237 or e mail kim.collis@ntlworld.co.uk The post would appeal to somebody who likes
exotic travel and meeting people, or is that travel and meeting exotic people,
one or the other.
After
a work weekend in September to which thanks are due to Nige, Stu, Sylvia,
Talking
of burglaries, the set of cow horns mounted in the kitchen which were a club
trophy for many years and which were a gift from John Trevelyan, have been
pinched recently, between 19 August and 10 September. If you have any
information on their disappearance, can you contact me? If any club member has
taken them for a laugh, if they could return them, then no questions will be
asked
Our
good neighbour the farmer has finally carried out his threat to demolish the
fire escape steps which intrude onto his land. This means that it is not a good
idea to open the fire escape door in the living room, since there is a 1 metre
drop from the threshold.
Bonfire
night falls (almost) on a weekend this year, so if enough people fancy going
up, we could make a party of it?
Kim Collis
Hut keys are available from Kim or, for members
living at the
|
Kim Collis |
18, |
|
John Goodwin |
37, 029 2030 9056 |
|
Nigel Lewis |
|
|
Pete Bennett |
12, Heol Ynys Ddu, Castle View, |
Club Meetings
Now that the clocks have gone back outdoor climbing has to be reserved for the weekends for most of us. Wednesday evening outdoor climbing will resume when we revert to BST.
Sylvia is organising a programme of Winter slide shows in
then please get in touch with her. This year’s venue is Llandaff Rugby Club on
In
Club meets
for the remainder of 2004
|
Date |
Meeting |
Co-ordinator |
|
6th November |
Barn Fire Club Hut - see the bulletin board |
Kim Collis |
|
17th November |
Annual General Meeting, The Ryddings, |
|
|
26th
November |
The
Annual Dinner The
Discovery Inn, |
Sylvia Noorbhai |
The new committee
will be putting together a new meets list for 2005. If you have any ideas for
this or are willing to co-ordinate one of the meets I am sure they would be
very happy to hear from you.
You can always find an up to
date version of the Meets List on the Club’s website at: http://www.southwalesmountaineering.org.uk
Novice Day, Symonds Yat, 22nd May Novice
Day,
BMC Dates and Information
A
proportion of your SWMC membership fee goes to the British Mountaineering
Council. This brings third party insurance benefits but also goes to finance
BMC activities. The BMC is a democratic organisation. You can have your say on
the website or at regular meetings. Area Committee meetings are open to all.
|
Date |
Event |
Venue |
|
20th November 2004, |
Area Committee for |
To be confirmed |
The BMC is also looking
for people to act as volunteers in various capacities. More details on the website at:
http://www.thebmc.co.uk/thebmc/areacom/area_meetings.asp?area_drop=7
Lessons from the First
Lead Climb Weekend
One
thing is clear to me; you can’t learn everything about lead climbing on one
weekend. However, I reckon these are some of key points:
Lesson
No. 1 - Arrive at the hut before sunset
Given
that the club hut is hidden in a remote field in
Top
Tip: travel with someone who knows where they are going!
Lesson
No. 2 - Get someone else to make your food
Four
gas burners are insufficient cooking power for a pack of ravenous late (lost
but found) arrivals but, at least they warm the kitchen up.
Top
Tip: Rodas’s fish pie.
Lesson
No. 3 - Ear plugs
Being
in bed with 22 other people isn’t a problem, the difficulty only starts when
they lose interest and fall asleep. Of course I don’t snore but it’s a
surprisingly popular past time and if you’re going to be up for Chris’s morning
lecture some sleep is an advantage.
Top
tip: to increase your popularity rating, bring at least 3 pairs of ear plugs
and share them around.
Lesson
No. 4 - Cracks are often smaller than you think
To
the untrained eye a crack in a rock is just that but, to the budding lead
climber cracks are a labyrinth of complex possibilities. All senses have just
one focus, to find a secure home for your nut, hex or friend. Under this
sensory scrutiny even the smallest crack takes on gargantuan dimensions.
Top
Tip: cracks are about 2 sizes smaller than you think.
Lesson
No. 5 - I’d sooner have a nut
OK,
so they have a reassuring name and they are fun to play with but, they don’t
exactly inspire confidence. At least with a nut you know where you are but
Friends, they are all over the place! I guess you just have to hope that
although they might creep up or in they won’t creep out!
Top
Tip: hold on tight!
Lesson
No. 6 - Equalising a belay on rock is not as easy as it is on a fridge
Setting
up an equalised belay looked deceptively easy in the club hut. All you needed
was a solid bit of wood (holding up the roof) and the door of a fridge. In
reality, it’s much harder to find a fridge when you need one.
Top
Tip: Karabiners weren’t designed to take 2 slings, 3 clove hitches a figure of
eight and a belay plate, well not all at once!
And,
who said “a little learning is a dangerous thing”!
Thanks
to everyone who made the weekend possible.
Tom Margrain
No Parking
The Liverpool
MC has a parking bay on the road, pretty much opposite the gate leading down to
Lletty LLywyd. This is for the use of Liverpool MC members and their guests and
they don’t like other people using it.
The Market
Place
For sale: Wild Country bouldering mat - unused
& still boxed (won in a competition). Comparable ones cost over £100 -
sell for £50. Contact Andy Rees on 07980 444676 or Sarah Vickers on 07970
144401 or email andy.rees@logicacmg.com.
For sale: “Gower and South East Wales” – In case
you didn’t realise these beauties can be bought by Club members at a discount
of 25 per cent. You can get your copy from your nearest Membership
Secretary (currently Tim in
Andy Kirkpatrick is doing his only
Social Announcements
Goodbye to Stuart Lloyd. Stuart has in turn been a very efficient Membership
Secretary for
Congratulations to Pete and Rach
Bennett who had a baby boy at
The next Newsletter
Will
be published shortly by whoever takes over as Newsletter Editor. Please submit
news items, letters, articles or pictures to them and not to me. I would like
to say a great big
thank you
to
everyone who has contributed articles, news, ideas and, especially, pictures
during the time that I have been in the editor’s chair – please keep it up!