22/9/26

Report from Mike Moxon

Joe was digging bottom left, Mike top centre, Jon bottom right, we filled 36 buckets (one the base has half gone, so that was retired afterwards). We all removed some smaller rocks from face, and the mud formations are now mostly gone, but proved to have no air space beyond, the mud reaching the roof again. Them all hauled back to dump on the spoil heap (we didn't use the middle haul, but manhandled them along the passage). Met up with Ed, James and Estelle in the Hunters' after their MCR first aid training

15/9/26

Report from Mike Moxon

Kerry, Joe, Charlie, Ben, Jon and I did 2 sets of buckets (58 dumped down the side passage and 14 on the main spoil heap). All did some digging, removing two more big rocks from bottom left of dig face (now in hollow behind the massive boulder), along with quite a few smaller ones. I took these pictures of the mud formations centre top

8/9/26

Report from Mike Moxon

Joe Holloway, Charlie stoddart and Mike headed in to dig, filling 53 buckets from the front (fair amount of small rocks, but no big ones removed this week), another bucket was filled with mud from around the final haul / steps into chamber. Harley helped fill the half set. Jon and Ed were also on hauling duties. Bigger rocks that were already out were moved to the side. Some of the mud was dumped down the side passage. Out of the main gate by 9pm - small gate into field no longer shuts properly and blue rope only just reaches.

25/8/26

Estelle Sandford, Mike Moxon, Harley Bennett, Jon Riley plus from Mendip Activity Centre, Kerrie Binks, Maddie Pole, Ruby McKeown, Oli Warren, Ben Murphy, Joe Holloway

2.5hrs

Estelle went in first and with a bit of help from others, moved most of the boulders that were dropped at the end of last week's session. Once they were out of the way, Kerrie dug alongside Estelle, removing spoil and some more rocks, then swapped for Maddie for the first round of buckets, 2nd round was Ruby and Oli, whilst Estelle continued to dig out the floor, whilst they dug forwards. The hole in the floor  is much larger now and has on the left as you look at the main dig, a matching sloping side towards the lowest point we're at currently to where the hole is before the boulders, so hopefully this will find us a similar hole this side. At the end of the session Harley had a go at some boulders, made them loose enough they had to come out, so Estelle finished them off, leaving a new pile of boulders for next weeks team! With such a large team, a lot of rock was taken out as well as the 70 dug buckets - we have 35 currently in circulation. All spoil was dumped down the side passage again. Pub alarm didn't go off so lost complete track of time, hence the much longer session. James had walked Holly up and was quite bored in the car waiting. Headed Hunters after. 

18/8/26

Report from Hollie/Mike M

Hollie, Kushy, Mike M, Charlie/Ben from Mike's work, Jon, Harley, James

MK arrived early and scraped buckets before heading to dig face. HL joined underground at 1830, bringing two extra stacks of buckets just as MK was filling the last of what he'd brought down. Focusing on dig face dead ahead, rather than the lower right corner. Lots of large boulders appearing in the mud, including a small fridge-sized block that HL dislodged with crowbar. HL and MK started transporting all 36 filled buckets out and completed the first haul as reinforcements arrived. After hauling and emptying, HB and HL continued at the dig face. Once loose boulders to the right at head height were removed by HL, HB  and Charlie and Ben (no light / oversuit) at front for 2nd round, only Charlie for 3rd (of 18 buckets), as Ben was kept busy hauling. All were emptied down side passage by MK & MM. We retired another bucket a couple of weeks ago, so there are 36 now, making 90 total this evening between 8 of us.

11/8/26

Estelle, Mike, Harley, Ed, Jon

1.5hrs

Jon arrived earlier and started digging before others arrived, rest of us turned up and headed down, completed the bucket filling, Harley digging in the wall in front and Estelle digging in the floor. Estelle was working on a line across the dig to try and see if possible to pick up the line of the rift from the earlier hole in the floor. Met with solid red rock on right hand side that looks like typical floor rock, but almost dead straight in front, the crowbar goes down full length when wiggled through the rock/clay. Continued digging out the rocks and mud from there and it is clearly a way down and around 18in or so deep in the floor when left. With the end dig site so big now - we all could have dug in there at once tonight! - we need to focus on getting a shelf going forwards, but also completely clearing the floor area out to see if there are more opportunities of a way down. The feel of the way on is that it may be an inlet possibly and that we may actually have a 'pot' in the floor, but we won't know whilst we've so much mud/rocks there! After all the buckets were filled, we removed them to the surface and most were dumped down the old LH dig site - aiming to get that as full as possible before any winter flooding! 

4/8/26

James, Harley, Ed, Kushy and Mike.

MK headed in around 1700 and started moving boulders around at the end and pre drilling holes ready to be plug and feathered. EF arrived around 1730 and got busy dismantling the boulders. MK moved these into the side rift. Several buckets were also filled up with mud from the floor. Ed carried on splitting rock until the others arrived. Looks to be some huge boulders in the floor still. JB, MM and HB arrived around 1900. 2 buckets runs completed and dumped into the defunct entrance next door. In my opinion probably best not to do drill work before clearing as it made the air quite thick. Finished for 2100.

28/7/26

Estelle, Mike, Ed, Jon, Greg Hawkins (MCG), Kushy

2hrs

A slightly earlier start for Greg, Mike and Kushy, and 38 buckets in circulation that did 2 runs, 70 went from the front and 6 from the puddle (although 1 did have a split in, so wasn't as full by the time it reached the spoil heap!) One down at end, with broken handle, was left on surface. Fast session with a strong team and finished before James arrived walking up with Holly, so had to pick him up enroute to Hunters. 

14/7/26

Report from Jon

Ed turned up early again and set about breaking up the remaining boulders at the dig face. He was just finishing his efforts when the rest of the team arrived. Jon and Harley dug with Ed's support. Mike and James hauled. 

The dig face now looks a lot tidier. The boulders are largely out of the way.  All loose spoil has been removed.

Ed has levelled off the right hand side looking towards the face. With some effort we may be able to construct a means of hauling.

The air remains fresh despite extended efforts in the last couple of sessions. 

couple of Ed's photos of the levelling work for new haulway

Looking towards the dig, hole in the floor conveyorbelt to left

Looking from dig back up passage, hole in the floor to the right. 

7/7/26

Ed turned up early to reduce some boulders with the drill and plug and feathering before the rest of us arrived. Once Ed had finished the last of his batteries with one last boulder, Estelle & Harley started digging. Harley on the right, Estelle on the left. Checked the boulder James had reported last week on left and it doesn't particularly feel like it will imminently go, so cleared the spoil created from rocks being dropped last week before mostly digging downwards to clear out the large step we'd created following the hole in the top and draught. Easy digging as always and found a piece of what looked like fossilised bone in amongst the quite 'gravelly' spoil. Fairly certain the 'gravelly' grey spoil is crushed coral or similar, although it does look like unset concrete! After all 38 buckets filled and Ed finished moving more rocks around to work on levelling the proposed new haul in the bottom chamber. Ideally a 'railway' like at the top as it will be hard to stop it tipping off the hole in the floor side with conveyor belt as it stands. All buckets taken to surface and emptied and then headed to the Hunters.

(photo by Estelle of Harley in the end dig)

30/6/26

Report from Mike & James

The rain did stop when we arrived at cutler's (unfortunately not in time for Estelle walking there, so she got rather wet!). We were greeted by this juvenile green woodpecker on the lawn before flying up into palm. James and Harley were digging, Mike in support (I filled one bucket from spoil on top of conveyor belt over drainage hole) and Fran doing the end haul, as she had limited light. Remaining 37 buckets filled and more rocks removed (could do with breaking some up now) before moving them back to entrance (realising reinforcement was now unlikely!) - Fran dumped 1/3rd of them down side passage and rest emptied behind ladder, before a slightly later than usual retirement to Hunters'.

James - At the end of the digging session I removed a couple of quite sizeable rocks from the top of the left hand side of the dig. These are now on the floor and probably in the way. The “roof” on the left hand side is probably another rock of dubious stability. The air at the end was fresh.

23/6/26

Report from Mike M

Mike and Chris Hurst (MCG) dug, Harley in support, with Estelle and Jon moving stuff back. We filled 38(!) buckets and then, after Chris was out of the way, Mike brought some rocks down from the middle front that had appeared to be part of the roof - big one on left goes well back into mud so will require quite a lot more digging. Mike caught up with others to finish final haul and most of mud was put in bags and added to wall. Hunters' afterwards where James joined us.

16/6/26

Report from Jon

Jon and Harley dug this week, supported by James.  Mike and Estelle hauled.  Harley worked on the right hand side, concentrating on removing a large boulder. His efforts eventually succeeded.  Jon worked on the left hand side where the boulders were smaller. Several were removed. All buckets were filled but a little slower than usual because of the boulders. The next digger needs to be careful of loose ones in the top left corner. Only one set of buckets was filled this week, followed by a slightly early visit to the pub.

9/6/26

Estelle, James, Mike, Ed, Dave, Harley

2hrs 45mins

Estelle, Harley and Ed got there early and Estelle and Harley started filling buckets, whilst Ed was doing some engineering of the rockpile and rocks to level it off in the end chamber to try and work towards getting some sort of drag tray possible in the future. We've a lot of rock in that chamber that has been put aside, so good use of it to level things off. Estelle was working on the area around the new opening last week, firstly clearing off a 'step' to stick buckets on but also digging out the wall below it whilst taking some out from the top also. Harley was digging the bottom right corner. Once the first round of 33 buckets was filled and the rest of the team were away from the end, Estelle took to the loose looking boulders on the left higher up. A large amount of rocks was safely brought down and Ed then went on to plug and feather one and make use of some of the others. More empty buckets appeared so continued digging and we think we reused all 33 buckets, but there may be a chance they didn't all go out first time. There was still a good draught from above, it does look more like the roof of a passage than any aven, but a lot of spoil below it all needs removing before we'll reveal anything! Some photos were taken before we went out. All buckets taken up and a fair number were emptied into the old LH side dig. Stu L met us as we all came out and then we all headed to the Hunters

2/6/26 a void and a draught!

Ed report - 

EF, ES, JB, HB, JR, MM arrived at normal time.  Headed down with 33 buckets. EF & JB were at the dig face. We started by clearing the slump from the previous week which filled most of the buckets. While Buckets were being moved up EF brought down some sizable rocks from the roof discovering a small void. EF joined others emptying buckets before heading back down. Harley and James were found at the dig face clearing the mess. Estelle also joined by the dig face to take a look and help move buckets. The air was noticeably fresh. The void after a bit more clearing is approximately 1.5M long with a smooth scalloped roof. Another note is the mud is no longer colourful and becoming easy to dig clay.

After clearing buckets with Harley and John down the hole all headed out after 66 buckets and headed to the hunters for a much deserved pint.

26/5/26

Estelle, Mike, Harley, Jon

2hrs

Estelle and Mike digging, Estelle left and Mike right, both had a bit of a poke at the boulders to start, but didn't look like any were imminently coming down, so commenced digging mud around them and then had more goes, the one that looked least likely to go on the left came out and was moved out of the way further back in the chamber, more digging commenced and as the buckets were filled and the session went on, all the main loose boulders were removed, including the last at the end by Mike who left a load of self dug mud for the diggers next week! 33 or 34 buckets were filled and exited, one died during the trip with handle failure, so we think we're down to 33, may need to go shopping soon! James walked up with Holly to meet us at the dig as really hot evening, and then Hunters after. 

19/5/25

Report by Jon

Harley and Jon dug, supported by James.  Mike and Estelle were hauling.  The dig face has become very bouldery.  Harley removed one large boulder on the left to reveal more behind.  Jon tried to dig out another on the right.  This requires more effort. The boulders in the middle are now loose thanks to Harley.  A cautious start is needed next week.

12/5/26

Estelle, James, Mike, Jon, Harley, Fran 

2hrs

Estelle & Mike started off digging, Mike to the left and Estelle to the right. After clearing the mud around the massive boulder James moved last week, that was rolled back a bit from the dig so is now a seat! It either needs reducing or could stay here potentially as it's not in the way as it stands. The first 33 buckets were filled, there was a 34th which was accidentally left full at the dig last week, that was taken out. Jon and Harley were soon joined by James who had walked the dog over and Fran had arrived also. We all shuffled up passage to transport the buckets out and they were all dumped into the old side dig by James and Harley. 18 further buckets were sent back down and Mike and Fran filled those with help from Jon, whilst Harley, Estelle and James worked further up hauling. All buckets were dumped either in the old dig or a few wet ones up top, buckets scraped and we headed to the Hunters.

5/5/26

Report from Mike

James and Harley dug,  Jon and Mike hauling. James got big slab on right out of face, and most of spoil went down side passage (except for the sloppier ones created by tidying the rest of chamber, and one which got left there - not found until following week). 

28/4/26

Report from Mike

Ed, Harley, Jon and Mike. Red kite flew over just as we were heading to entrance. First two dug whilst last two filled 3 buckets with slop from flooding. 30 or 31 buckets filled fairly easily as mud peeled off, and a large rock was dug out. Toad rescued from end chamber, a slug and beetle were also noticed there. All buckets then hauled back to side passage and mostly emptied there by Jon. Vole ran across surface steps as I stepped off ladder. Then off to the Hunters'