A CAVING club, whose early members were from mining communities in West Yorkshire, has celebrated its 50th birthday .

The Yorkshire Subterranean Society - back in 1964 it took the tongue-in-cheek moniker "The Undertakers' Subterranean" Society - now has its base in a converted school in Helwith Bridge.

To celebrate its half century, the group held an open day at the clubhouse, on Saturday, November 1, to show people how it has spent £20,000 of National Lottery money to upgrade the facilities.

It ran a "Try Caving" day, backed by the British Caving Association, where people were able to use the facilities for the first time.

They used the specialised rope training wall in a two-storey-high extension which was financed by the lottery grant.

It allows up to six cavers at a time to train and practice rope work needed for safe modern caving.

Helping to spearhead the project was one of the club's founding members, Alan Speight, who as a 19-year-old travelled all the way from Normanton, near Wakefield, to enjoy the sport. in the Dales. The 67-year-old now lives in Bentham.

Alan, who still caves, said the success of the scheme was also due in part to Craven Council's sports development officer, Bruce Dinsdale, who helped in making the lottery bid.

He said: "Our base is not just a place for cavers, it's a facility for the community as well.

"We provide tea and coffee and a chance of a shower at the end of the of the Three Peaks Cyclo and people use our bunk house when cycling the the Way of the Roses from Morecambe to Bridlington."

"It can accommodate 44 people and also has a storage room, kitchen, a meeting room and caving library."

The rope wall meant training could be carried out in a safer environment rather than as previously outdoors on short pitches underground or on surface shafts.

The facilities were also available to other caving club members who wanted to learn to abseil and the single rope technique.

The society , which until 2006 ran a monthly meeting in which members travelled to caving trips by coach, today has a membership of 130. It attracts people from abroad who can use the dormitory facilities and has conducted a number of foreign expeditions to caving areas throughout the world.

Nearer home, it has recently been involved in repairing Providence Pot by digging out flood debris and providing safety scaffolding. Back in the 1960s members helped clear the same pothole following the Mossdale Caverns disaster.

Member, Chris Tate, said: “Over the last 50 years we have aimed to make caving accessible to people through our regular coach trips -from 1964 to 2006 - to the Yorkshire Dales, affordable accommodation in the heart of Yorkshire caving country, caving expeditions and more recently through our successful Try Caving events.

"That aim has seen our members explore the deepest caves in the world and have been part of record breaking achievements. Our new facility continues the tradition of introducing people to the sport."

Skipton MP Julian Smith said: "I want to congratulate the Yorkshire Subterranean Society on their 50th anniversary and it is particularly fitting they are marking it by opening their new training facility.

"I have been determined that the benefits of the 2012 London Olympics should be felt across my constituency and this is a great example of how the legacy is making a difference here. The new facility will help ensure the Society goes from strength to strength in its next 50 years."

Damian Weare, British Caving Association Secretary, said: "British cavers are at the forefront of exploring the world's greatest caves and it is fantastic to see the sport recognised by Sport England. We are very grateful to Sport England and the YSS for providing a first-class facility."

You can find out more about caving and the Yorkshire Subterranean Society at:

http://www.yssuk.com/ http://british-caving.org.uk/?page=1 http://www.trycaving.co.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/yssuk/ https://twitter.com/YSS_UK