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I’m Bradley Tyson (8th year student), sometimes known as ‘Cave Dad’ and have been part of the Society since 2021. Though I had resisted Rosi asking me to cave throughout most of my PhD, I thought 2021 was the time to pick up a new hobby. I joined the society on a Sunday, and was promptly elected to the committee the following Friday as a ‘Caving Officer’. My duties as a Caving officer led me to become instrumental in the organisation and planning of caving weekends and trips, and since I have become more of a regular fixture at training and other caving events. I am a passionate caver, looking to get as much experience in caving before I leave the University (Date unknown), an organised, sociable and confident person. To quote my Caving Officer manifesto: Bradley Tyson is a man who gets things done.

My main aims for the society can be broken down into 3 main sections:

Opportunity and Expansion:

• Opportunity within LUUCaS:
We have a vast number of cavers in the University club, but due to time lost from the lockdowns and students leaving we are set to lose a few able cavers that can lead trips. What I propose is dedicated training programs and opportunities for newer cavers to be able to develop their skills and confidence to be able to lead trips within the society. This program will be nurtured by the wealth of experience we have in ULSA.

• Opportunity within ULSA:
As previously stated we have many ULSA members close by who can lead trips and assist with training. Though many trips have taken place this year, the feeling is that we can take keen university cavers with a bit more experience on harder trips led by ULSA members who wish for more of a challenge on their weekend trip. This will have additional benefits of helping to train student cavers for more complex caving situations and allow for more involvement of ULSA members.

• Expansion within the student caving community:
Through talking to other national caving clubs at caving events I noticed a lack of cohesion between local clubs. Clubs within close proximity could help each other out with caving trips, training and general support. This was discussed and was received well at NCHECC, and plans were initially made to set up training programs and leadership workshops with Northern clubs in September. We are fortunate at Leeds to have a large ULSA network that we can gain lots of knowledge and support from and it would be beneficial if we could get something similar and accessible for all Northern caving clubs, especially newer clubs.

Incentivising driving:
One point of great difficulty at times has been finding drivers for day and weekend trips, and I believe this is due to the lack of incentive for driving currently. I have driven for all weekend trips I have attended, despite not owning my own car. This is usually a last resort as we have not been able to source enough drivers for the trips. As a counter to the current system I propose that drivers for day trips do not pay for the ticket price, and can still claim expenses. For the weekend trips covering the hut fees and claiming expenses seems more reasonable than paying the weekend fee. Drivers should not feel out of pocket when they are the main reason this society continues to be able to offer trips as we have been doing.

Organisation and Communication:
On the organisational aspects, we will endeavour to consistently organise weekend trips more in advance and ascertain who can drive and lead ahead of time. We will also put tickets on earlier so that both the committee and members can more effectively plan for their weekends. The dialog between the student members, ULSA members and committee can be improved as your voice and opinion matters to us. We want to know what you think we can improve on and what you want to see from us in the future.

Thank you for taking the time to read my manifesto, and if there is anything you’d like to discuss further then seek me out in person, or drop me an email at pmbjt@leeds.ac.uk. I look forward to working closely with you all in the 2022/23 academic year!

B. Tyson