The purpose of the charity is to provide grant aid to assist caving expeditions from Britain to all parts of the world.
In particular the Committee look for expeditions whose aims and methods include an element of innovative exploration or scientific study which distinguishes them from the typically sporting caving venture.
The charity is embarking on a fundraising effort to enhance the size of the investment fund, with all the money raised going towards supporting British cavers carrying out science and exploration abroad.
Learn how to make a direct donation.
Buy a set of limited edition caving picture cards – new for 2012.
In 1981, Xitu in northern Spain became the first cave to be extended below 1000 metres by British cavers before it finally ended at a sump.
Nearly 20 years later, a GPF-supported expedition returned to the area to try and find a connection by diving the resurgence, Cueva Culiembro.
Castleguard Cave is Canada’s longest known cave and is renowned world-wide as the premier example of a cave which extends beneath an active icefield.
Over the course of two grueling expeditions an 845m sump was finally passed, opening up a whole new cave system beyond.
Catherine Hulse – a student on the Cambridge University expedition to the Loser Plateau, Austria – describes here experiences of finding major discoveries abroad.
With kilometres of passage found in 2011, the team are now just 30 metres away from making a major connection to produce one of the largest cave systems in the world.
In 2011 the Ghar Parau Foundation supported a short 4-man expedition to the Gornergletscher, Switzerland to explore and survey the ‘karstic’ system of the glacier.
Facing some unique challenges, the team managed to adapt traditional caving techniques to discover more of this icy world.
The Tratman Award – annually awarded to the best caving-related paper-based publication.
The 2011 prize was awarded to Decades in the Dark, edited by Alan ‘Goon’ Jeffreys.
Read more on the judges’ decision.
Since 2007 the Ghar Parau Foundation has awarded £40425, benefiting 85 British caving expeditions.