As most will be aware, the 2011 AditNow calendar fund was intended to be used to provide steelwork to Friends of Cwmorthin (FoC) to shore up the Lake Level adit.

At the time, negotiations were taking place over the access agreement and we were specifically asked to hold onto the funds pending the outcome. Since then, the circumstances have changed and although access for all has been maintained, the new lease is not held by FoC.

The work that the calendar fund was intended for has subsequently been undertaken by Go Below, who operate trips in Cwmorthin and have a responsibility for the upkeep of the access. We are all, obviously, very grateful to them for doing this as this will safeguard access into the future.

As such, a decision has been reached to reallocate the fund to North Wales Cave Rescue Organisation, with a stipulation that (if possible) it be used to buy equipment for; or otherwise support rescue from slate mines.

Given the length of time that has passed, it was not felt possible to put the matter to an open debate as it would have been unfair to allow people who had not bought a calendar to comment - something that would have been impossible to oversee.

We believe that NWCRO's remit is such that the donation has potential to bring the widest benefits whilst still keeping the fund within the same geographical area that it was originally intended for.

Finally, it is worth noting that changes in Government funding will mean that CROs will lose a significant proportion of their income and as such we feel that it is important to do what we can as a mine exploring community to support these charities which may, one day, be there for us.

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