Following the making of the Adventure Activities Licensing Regulations 2004 (Statutory Instrument 2004 No 1309), caving (which includes mine exploration) has become an activity which if provided for people under 18 requires the provider to be licensed. The Derbyshire Caving Club is not a licensed provider and cannot therefore generally take people under 18 except if the following apply (this section is taken from the Regulations):

if the facilities are provided:

(a)	by a voluntary association

(i)	to its members;
(ii)	to the members of some other voluntary association pursuant to an agreement between the associations; or
(iii)	to persons who are not its members for the purpose only of encouraging interest in its activities or attracting new members; provided that such facilities shall not be provided, in respect of any one person, on more than three days in any period of twelve months;

(b)	by an educational establishment to pupils of that establishment;

(c)	to young persons who are, during their participation in the activities in question, accompanied--

(i)	by an individual who is their parent or guardian or who has parental responsibility for them within the meaning of the Children Act 1989(1); or
(ii)	by an individual who has parental rights within the meaning of the Law Reform (Parent and Child) (Scotland) Act 1986(2) in respect of them or, on and after the day on which section 1 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995(3) has come into force, has parental responsibilities for them within the meaning of that section; or

(d)	under the authority of a licence held by some other person.

For our purposes, we are a voluntary organisation and can therefore provide access to the mines for our members, other cavers and to prospective members (clause (a)). Clause (b) and (d) do not apply to us as the facilities are not provided by an educational establishment or under someone else's licence. Clause (c) does apply and we make it a condition that all visitors under-18 are suitably accompanied.

Therefore, we regret that we cannot take school parties.

We do have an arrangement with an Outdoor Pursuits Centre (Standon Bowers in Staffordshire, part of the Entrust group) which enables them to visit the mines with groups of young people as they hold an adventure activities licence and we suggest that school organisers may wish to contact Standon Bowers.