Vacancies for volunteers: BCRA needs your help

[David Checkley]

BCRA Needs You

BCRA has recently started several new exciting initiatives in the library and in publishing and we need new skills on Council to help us with these. We also currently need replacements for two members of the team who have had to leave us.
If you are interested in any of these voluntary posts (shown below) or in helping out with working parties in the library, then please contact me: Dave Checkley, Chairman of BCRA.
You will be joining an enthusiastic team, committed to the support and development of British caving and cave research. It may also be fun sometimes, but not always as much fun a caving!

1. Honorary Secretary

There are three Council meetings per year and the Secretary has a key role in preparing the agenda with the Chairman and taking and circulating minutes from these meetings. However, the Secretary is also involved in communicating with Council and keeping them up to date with incoming information and is a key focus for the Council team throughout the year. If you are interested in cave science, then this position will take you right to the core of BCRA, who are the major supporter of this science in Britain.

2. Fund Raiser for Caving and Cave Research in Britain

BCRA is the charitable branch of the BCA, our national caving body. One of our essential tasks is therefore to raise funds to promote our two main themes of, British cave heritage and cave science, for the benefit of all involved in British caving. To lead BCRA Council with raising funds is a key role in the support of the facilities that BCRA and BCA provide to cavers. We need someone with drive and energy to help us with this challenging task.

3. Marketing Officer for BCRA Publications

Although BCRA has a long track record of producing scientific and educational books and booklets about caving, it has a poor record of marketing this material. We see marketing as a key skill in our attempts to publish and make money out of a new series of educational booklets, similar to our Cave Studies Series, but targeted at the public and at beginner cavers. Please contact us if you are a caver with marketing experience and enthusiasm for this important new initiative. You will be a key person in BCRA’s publishing team.

4. Officer for BCRA Publications

Our Sales Officer has recently retired and we urgently need a replacement to take charge of the sale of present and back issues of publications. The person appointed would organise teams to help to run sales stalls at several meetings including Hidden Earth and to look for new outlets for our publications. You will also be a key member of the publications team and be involved in the development of our new educational series of booklets – Discovering Caves.

5. Working Parties in the Library

We have a large collection of surveys, photographs and negatives that date back to the early 1900’s. Many of these are destined for the National Archive, but first need to be catalogued. This is a painstaking, but often fascinating and fun task and we are slowly working our way through it at the Library close to Buxton. If you can help with this at our regular working parties please let me know.