from the BCRC and other Cave Rescue groups
Requests for interviews about the ongoing rescue operation in Xaysomboun province, Laos. A search and rescue effort has been mobilised by Laotian and Thai rescue teams, and our thoughts are very much of those trapped underground and their family members … Continued
Complex Medical and Technical Cave Rescue Workshop, Hungary May 5-10 2026. In May 2026, doctors from Derbyshire, North Wales and Irish Cave Rescue attended an international cave rescue exercise, colloquially called ‘Stuck in Baradla’, in the Aggtelek region of Hungary. … Continued
12 to 14 June at Priddy, Somerset. The British Cave Rescue Council holds a biannual medical conference where anyone interested in advanced medical practice for cave rescue team members can gather to discuss various topics and attend practical sessions. These … Continued
The Vice-Chairman of the British Cave Rescue Council, Bill Whitehouse, retired from the Executive committee during the AGM held in Buxton on Sunday 19 April 2026. This was a momentous occasion in the life of BCRC since Bill has served … Continued
25-28 September, Wojcieszów, Poland This meeting was organized by GOPR and GRJ on behalf of the European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA) in the small Polish town of Wojcieszów on the Kwisa River. It is renowned for its speleological significance, featuring … Continued
Toby Hamnett attended the BCRC stand at Hidden Earth, Llangollen over the weekend of 26-28 September. Toby used conversations with passing cavers, especially younger cavers of University caving clubs, to communicate two essential messages: That “cavers rescue cavers”. Younger cavers … Continued
A hybrid Executive committee meeting of South and Mid-Wales Cave Rescue Team (SMWCRT) in Llanidloes was the first formal opportunity for BCRC Chairman Peter Dennis to thank Gary Mitchell for his service as BCRC Assistant Chairman from 2018 to 2025.Peter … Continued
Appreciation of Roger King’s service on the BCRC Executive Committee BCRC Chairman, Peter Dennis, presented Roger King with a Certificate of Appreciation during the BCRC Annual General Meeting in Buxton on Sunday 6 April. This was in recognition of Roger’s voluntary … Continued
Annual Lowland Rescue AGM and Conference Working together, sharing experiences and raising awareness of the national role of BCRC with other search and rescue organisations is always an important task for BCRC, and we were delighted to receive an invitation … Continued
17th European Cave Rescue Meeting, 19-22 September, Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia & Herzegovnia is a beautiful country, with dramatic scenery, where East meets West, and this year was the host of the 17th European Cave Rescue meeting. Cave rescuers from … Continued
BCRC at Hidden Earth 2024 BCRC presented a display stand in the trade hall at the Hidden Earth national caving conference 2024, organised by the British Cave Research Association. This year Hidden Earth was located at the Royal International Pavilion, … Continued
It was busy over the weekend of September 28-29 in South Wales, training up the next generation of Advanced First Aiders and Casualty Carers. Training and support was delivered by medical professionals and volunteers giving up their time, for free, … Continued
We were pleased to be in attendance at this year’s Emergency Services Show in Hall 5 in collaboration with our Search And Rescue colleagues of Mountain Rescue England and Wales, Lowland Rescue, H.M.Coastguard, RNLI and many others. There were lots … Continued
On the weekend of 7th – 9th June over 100 delegates from 13 underground rescue teams, 3 Mountain Rescue Teams as well as HM Coastguard and the Police descended on Nenthead in Cumbria. They attended a variety of talks, demonstrations … Continued
BCRC celebrates 32 years of service by Jim Davis as BCRC Training Officer British Cave Rescue Council officers and teams expressed appreciation to Jim Davis for 32 years continuous service as Training Officer and Executive Committee member of the BCRC, … Continued
We had a stand in the Collaboration Zone in Hall 4 (stand G44) at the 2023 Emergency Services Show, NEC, Birmingham on 19th and 20th September. Thanks to everyone who came along to the show and visited us to say … Continued
Morca Cave, Taurus Mountains, southern Turkey On Sunday 3 September, BCRC Officers were made aware of a medical emergency experienced 1,050 m underground by an expedition caver in Morca Cave, Taurus Mountains, Türkiye, through the European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA). … Continued
Cave Rescue representation at the First Minister of Wales Reception for Royal guests. South and Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team (SMWCRT) Executive committee members were amongst those invited to attend a reception in Brecon on 20 July, hosted by the … Continued
23-25 June 2023 This cave rescue medical training conference was a well organised, enjoyable and informative weekend for all those who travelled to Clapham, North Yorkshire to participate. Ingleborough Hall and grounds made an excellent venue for accommodation and the … Continued
June 2023 After seeing the new Casbags and jackets at the European Cave Rescue Association meeting in 2022, the Norwegian Cave Rescue Group asked if we could make some for them. This was accompanied by an invitation to visit Norway … Continued
The British Cave Rescue Council wish to extend sincere condolences to the family and friends of Duangpetch Promthep, the former captain of the Wild Boars youth football team, on news of his tragic death. The BCRC cave divers, Executive committee … Continued
Mike Meredith, 79, was found dead at his house in Kuching, Sarawak, on the morning of Wednesday 11th January 2023. Mike was born on the 19th. July 1943 in Hereford. At the age of 11 he obtained a Scholarship to … Continued
1926 – 2022 British Cave Rescue volunteers join with those across the UK and the world in offering our deepest condolences to all in the Royal family at this very difficult time.
A special presentation was made during the closing session of the ResCon22 cave rescue conference in Castleton on Sunday 26 June. Peter Dennis, current BCRC chairman, on behalf of the BCRC Executive officers, presented Bill Whitehouse with a figurine of … Continued
BCRC extends thanks to BCA and SubBrit for financial support of casualty bag project Gratitude was expressed to Russell Myers, British Caving Association and Phil Catling, Subterranea Britannica for the generous financial support received from both organisations for the BCRC … Continued
A presentation of a photograph signed by members of the BCRC Executive committee, was made to Heather Simpson during the Annual General Meeting, Buxton on Sunday 10 April. This was a modest gesture to express appreciation for the six years … Continued
Incident Report for the Period 1st January 2021 – 31st December 2021 The summary of the incidents for 2021 (both underground and surface) in which cave rescue teams have been involved has been collated and is now available as a … Continued
6-8 November 2021 A major incident in Ogof Ffynnon Ddu became apparent after an initial response on Saturday afternoon (6th November) confirmed a seriously injured caver. A full mobilisation of the South and Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team (SMWCRT) was … Continued
11th-14th November 2021, Ramales de la Victoria, Cantabria, Spain Two years had elapsed since the previous European Cave Rescue Association’s (ECRA) conference, held in Croatia 2019. Thoughts of an autumn 2020 conference dissolved in the face of a further rise … Continued
The 2018 Thailand Cave Rescue – London Screening On Wednesday evening 27th October, a delegation from the BCRC executive were lucky enough to be invited to a special UK screening of ‘The Rescue’ National Geographic documentary film in London. The … Continued
BCRC Medical Weekend Over the weekend of July 17-18 we held our Medical Weekend in the Forest of Dean at the Gloucestershire Cave Rescue Group base. Medical officers from cave rescue teams from all over the UK, together with representatives … Continued
Incident Report for the Period 1st January 2020 – 31st December 2020 The summary of the incidents for 2020 (both underground and surface) in which cave rescue teams have been involved has been collated and is now available on the … Continued
Disinfectant Donation Keeping safe during the Covid-19 pandemic is really important for cave rescue teams, protecting our team members and the people we help. Thank you to Tristel for the very kind gesture of supplying teams with Tristel Duo for … Continued
Update on Developing the next generation of Casbag. Hypothermia is always on our minds as British cave rescuers. Our cave environment is a hostile one, with an ambient temperature of 8 to 12°C. Hypothermia is an ever-present danger for those … Continued
BRIEFING NOTE – 12 May 2020, Guidance Should a Return to Underground Activity Become Available Update for cavers, mine explorers and the media compiled 23:10h BST, Monday 11 May 2020 Guidance from the government and the devolved parliaments on outdoor … Continued
BRIEFING NOTE – Friday 24 April 2020, 16:00 BST Update for teams and supporters All best wishes to cave and mine rescue teams, individual team members, families and friends during these unprecedented circumstances. During the current SARS-CoV-2 crisis, BCRC encourages … Continued
Royal Decoration of the Kingdom of Thailand bestowed on UK Cave Rescuers The British Cave Rescue Council is pleased to convey that on Monday 3rd February the UK Cave Rescuers that were deployed to Thailand to help rescue the 12 … Continued
Raising the profile of Cave Rescue amongst tomorrow’s Search Advisors Two BCRC officers spent the afternoon of 8th January showcasing the UK’s voluntary cave rescue abilities to trainee Police Search Advisors (PolSAs), alongside colleagues from MREW and ALSAR. Several other … Continued
On Wednesday 13 November 2019 members of the BCRC team involved in the 2018 Tham Luang rescue in Thailand received Royal Humane Society awards from HRH Princess Alexandra, the Society’s President. The awards are as follows: Silver Medal Rick Stanton … Continued
Thank you to Apeks Diving For the donation of 8 MTX-R regulators to be used by our rescue teams. The MTX-R is a rugged, reliable regulator developed for demanding conditions. The regulators were handed out to teams during the bi-annual … Continued
Thanks to all who made their way to Mendip (Somerset) for the biennial BCRC Cave Rescue Conference, hosted by Mendip Cave Rescue. Held over the long weekend of 6-8 September 2019 at Priddy we were lucky to have some warm, sunny … Continued
Honeywell Analytics Donate Portable Gas Detectors to all UK Cave/Mine Rescue Teams The British Cave Rescue Council (BCRC) is extremely grateful to Peter Barratt (Key Account Manager, Honeywell Analytics, Middlewich, Cheshire) and Joe Exon (Zone Manager, Honeywell Analytics, Poole, Dorset) … Continued
New Long Slix Stretcher The SMWCRT team has been working with React to improve some design features of the ‘slix’ stretcher. This latest version incorporates new designs for C-Spine immobilisation and head support for casualties, with improved lifting / hauling eyelet … Continued
Good News from Tennessee Last night BCRC was both pleased and relieved to receive some excellent news from the United States informing them that Josh Bratchley had been successfully rescued from Millpond Cave in Tennessee where he had been overdue on … Continued
Before you go Be AdventureSmart and ask yourself 3 questions: * Do I have the right GEAR? * Do I know what the WEATHER will be like? * Am I confident I have the KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS for the day? … Continued
Royal Humane Society Awards following the Tham Luang Rescue Operation in Thailand. BCRC is both pleased and proud that the Royal Humane Society have announced awards it has made to members of the BCRC team involved in the Tham Luang … Continued
Cave Rescue Organisation – Long Service Awards Night The Cave Rescue Organisation (CRO) recently held a Long Service Awards night to recognise the contribution made by many of its’ long serving members to the Team’s mission of ‘Saving lives above … Continued
Official Opening of the Refurbished and Extended UWFRA Hut BCRC Officers Brendan Sloan and Peter Dennis were delighted to attend the formal opening of the recently extended and refurbished Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association (UWFRA) Rescue Centre (The Hut) on Saturday … Continued
MEDIA BRIEFING NOTE – 26 February 2019 First member of the BCRC cave rescue diving team named in the New Year’s Honours receives George Medal. The British Cave Rescue Council is delighted for the recognition given to the cave divers involved … Continued
BCRC is both delighted and proud to spread the word that the following national awards and honours have been announced this evening for members of the BCRC team who were involved in the Tham Luang rescue in Thailand last summer. … Continued
The 1st/2nd December saw the first BCRC Medical weekend. Underground medics and advanced first aiders from Derbyshire, Yorkshire, Wales, the Mendips and Ireland met to discuss and develop the best casualty care for injured cavers. There was extensive discussion of challenging … Continued
BCRC Team attend a reception at No.10 Five of the BCRC divers involved in the recent rescue of the boys from Tham Luang Nang Non Cave and BCRC support staff recently attended a reception at No. 10 Downing Street. From left to … Continued
Update for teams and media compiled 12.00 BST, Saturday 14 July 2018 Peter Dennis, BCRC Chairman, surrounded by most of the BCRC team, addressed the Press assembled at Heathrow Airport, London at 8.30am on Friday morning. He formally welcomed back … Continued
MEDIA BRIEFING NOTE – 10 July 2018 A tense but joyful outcome for the cave rescue Update for teams and media compiled 23:10h BST, Tuesday 10 July 2018 At 15:30h (21:30h Thai time) today, the Thai authorities in charge of … Continued
MEDIA BRIEFING NOTE – 9 July 2018 Further progress on the rescue operation BCRC is encouraged and relieved by the progress made on the operation to rescue the remaining boys and their coach, led by the Thai authorities but urges … Continued
MEDIA BRIEFING NOTE – Third of Day – 8 July 2018 Update on the rescue operation The BCRC releases this latest media briefing as early, unconfirmed reports emerge that the first boys have been successfully brought out of Tham Luang … Continued
MEDIA BRIEFING NOTE – 8 July 2018 More, as key phase begins of the rescue operation The BCRC releases this latest media briefing as many reports have appeared in the media on Sunday morning that this critical phase of the … Continued
MEDIA BRIEFING NOTE – 8 July 2018 Key phase of the rescue operation to bring the boys out of Tham Luang Nang Non Cave begins The BCRC relays here a formal media briefing from the cave rescue camp in northern … Continued
MEDIA BRIEFING NOTE – 2nd briefing today – 7 July 2018 Further deployment of British cave rescue divers to Thailand The BCRC describes the reason for the further deployment of cave rescue divers to northern Thailand today, following the development … Continued
MEDIA BRIEFING NOTE – 7 July 2018 Reply to the many offers of help in the cave rescue operation in Tham Luang Nang Non Cave, Thailand Here, the BCRC wishes to acknowledge and provide a general reply to all those … Continued
MEDIA BRIEFING NOTE – 6 July 2018 Tragic development in the cave rescue operation in Tham Luang Nang Non Cave, Thailand The BCRC wishes to issue a single statement in response to the very sad news of the death of … Continued
MEDIA BRIEFING NOTE – 5 July 2018 Cave rescue operations in Tham Luang Nang Non Cave, Thailand This is the fourth media briefing and addresses some of the ongoing efforts to follow up the heartening discovery of the twelve boys … Continued
MEDIA BRIEFING NOTE – 2 July 2018 – SUPPLEMENT Breakthrough in the cave search and rescue operation in Tham Luang Nang Non Cave, Thailand This is the third media briefing and second issued today following the wonderful news that the … Continued
MEDIA BRIEFING NOTE – 2 July 2018 Update on the cave search and rescue operation in Tham Luang Nang Non Cave, Thailand This supplementary media briefing follows on from one circulated by BCRC on 28 June 2018 (luang-nang-non-cave-rescue-thailand). It reports … Continued
MEDIA BRIEFING NOTE – 28 June 2018 British cave rescue diver involvement in the Luang Nang Non, cave rescue incident, Thailand This media briefing has been written to provide context and some additional technical information to explain the recent involvement … Continued
The Dales caving book “Adventures Underground” written by Dave Haigh and John Cordingley (published by Wild Places) has proved very popular, softback copies are still available, but the limited edition hardback sold out really quickly. When writing the book the … Continued
BCRC Training Coordinator’s News November 2017 – Jim Davis December 2016 UKSAR Training Applications: 4 applications were submitted: Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association – UWFRA: Blue light driving training. Fred Easyport Training defibrilltor. CPR training manikin, Laerdal Resusci-Annie QCPR full … Continued
Children & Young people from Four Charities: Well Child Child Bereavement UK Place 2 B Centrepoint Came together on June 24th 2017 for the Mountain Rescue England & Wales / British Cave Rescue Council Princes’ Charities Forum Event. A day … Continued
Bill Whitehouse, former secretary and chair of Derbyshire Cave Rescue Organisation, and Vice-chair of BCRC has been awarded an MBE for services to Cave and Mountain Rescue in the 2017 Queen’s Birthday Honours list. Bill was involved in the formation … Continued
Thank you to all the team members who attended the recent Larkin Frame Training sessions, the hosting teams DCRO at Buxton and GCRG at Cinderford and also to Bill Batson and Paul Witheridge from Lyon for their delivery. This course … Continued
