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This project successfully funded on 15th August 2025, you can still support them with a donation.
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This project successfully funded on 15th August 2025, you can still support them with a donation.
Help South & Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team and South Wales Caving Club renovate their headquarters.
Help South & Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team and South Wales Caving Club renovate their headquarters.
Imagine this: A team of dedicated volunteers braving treacherous underground environments, risking their own safety to rescue people, sheep, cattle, and dogs trapped in the depths of Wales’s rugged landscape and mine workings.
And an active caving club introducing people to the thrill of underground exploration and discovering new caves in South Wales.
But the vital work of the rescue team and the club is hindered by outdated and deteriorating headquarters at Penwyllt.
South & Mid Wales Cave Rescue (SMWCRT) and South Wales Caving Club are in desperate need of your help. Their current base, a crucial hub for planning, training, coordinating life-saving operations and is in dire need of repair. A leaky roof and inadequate facilities are making it increasingly difficult for the rescue team to do their job effectively and the caving club needs support to help continue the development of caving in the area. They are looking to raise £10,500 to support this project.
The team was formed in 1946 and has been based in the Swansea Valley since 1946, moving to Penwyllt in 1960. They have co-ordinated the longest stretcher carry underground in the UK - 54 hours in 2021 and some of their team members were main players in rescuing the 12 boys trapped in a cave in Thailand in 2018. In addition, they have assisted in mining disasters and searches for missing persons and trapped dogs throughout South and Mid Wales.
Why is this renovation so critical?
• Enhanced Response Times: Modernised facilities will enable faster deployment and more efficient coordination during emergencies.
• Better Equipment Storage: Secure and organised storage will protect vital rescue equipment from damage and ensure its readiness for use.
• Improved storage for the Land Rover Ambulance: Secure and effective facilities ensuring vehicle storage, access for loading and unloading, and ease of regular vehicle checks and maintenance.
• Ensuring the survival of the ex-quarry worker cottages that form the Penwyllt HQ, but are deteriorating with age.
•Giving caving a base in the Upper Swansea Valley which locals and international cavers can use to explore the region's cave systems.
• Introducing people living in or near the Brecon Beacons National Park to the fantastic cave systems they have probably walked above.
These volunteers are the lifeline for anyone who ventures underground in South and Mid Wales. They operate 24/7, 365 days a year, often in challenging and dangerous conditions.
Your donation, no matter how small, will make a tangible difference. It will directly contribute to:
• Fixing the leaky roof and renovating the attic space.
• Upgrading equipment storage areas and kit drying facilities.
• Creating a dedicated space for storing first aid supplies.
• Forming a purpose built area for digital communications.
• Developing a safe area for equipment repairs and general maintenance.
This isn't just about roofs, bricks and mortar; it's about saving lives and ensuring caving has a home in Penwyllt for future generations come. Help us provide SMWCRT and SWCC with the modern, functional headquarters they urgently need.
With this Crowdfunding campaign we are offering a unique opportunity for your donation to have a lasting legacy with the rescue team and caving club.
We are offering anyone making a donation who pledges £20 or more the opportunity to have their name recorded against a specific roof slate. This information will be digitally recorded for prosperity and displayed within the South and Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team headquarters. We have 520 slates to put names to. This is the total number of slates above the SMWCRT cottage. Simply add your name to your pledge and we will pick this information up from there.
We expect the roof to last another 100 years once completed, so your support will have a truly lasting legacy.
Join us in supporting SMWCRT and SWCC and ensuring the safety of all those who explore the wonders of the underground world in South and Mid Wales. Donate today and be a part of their vital mission!
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made