Mum and son’s caving video scoops lockdown movie award

Thursday, 29 July 2021 10:29

By Emma Downes @emma_downes2021

A Glossop mum and Manchester son have won national awards for their indoor caving film made during lockdown.

‘Dobson’s Hole’ won the Judge’s Special Mention Category in the British Mountaineering Council’s Women in Adventure film competition this year.

The BMC competition aims to have more women in front of and behind the camera and was recently announced at the Sheffield Adventure Film Festival.

The film, created by retired Civil Servant Judith Plowman and her IT Consultant son Tim Dobson, was shot, edited, and released in just 24 hours.

Judith, 71, from Old Glossop said: “During lockdown 1, my son Tim and I saw this spoof video made by a well-known rock climber did, climbing around his home and were inspired to make our own - so we did!

“Caving at home and making the video has kept us very entertained during lockdown. Laughter and silliness get us through these things.

“There’s a beam in my house that starts off in my attic and goes down to the first-floor landing, so you can rope down two floors – it’s great. I’ve managed to perfect my Single Rope Technique (SRT) while I’ve been doing it.

“And I’ve been practising caving under the double bed, to get used to wiggling through some tight squeezes.”

Tim Dobson, 30, who lives in Manchester, said: “Many people would assume that caving isn’t a sport that older women can just "pick up", and yet mum is 71, took up caving 18 months ago and completed over 50 different trips last year.

“Perhaps more importantly she's supported a huge number of people, all with different body types, genders, fitness levels and levels of fear, give caving a try through the club she helped set up - The Caving Crew.

“We didn’t expect it to go anywhere, so we shot it in the morning, I edited it overnight and posted it online the next morning. It's amazing what one can achieve with a DSLR, laptop and a vague mental storyboard of shots.”

The film is available to view online at: https://tinyurl.com/dobsons-hole

The Caving Crew, based in the Peak District, aims to introduce people to the sport of caving and encourage those who already cave. To find out more about them go to www.cavingcrew.com.