BCUK Archery Club ?

[Nonsuch]

Having enjoyed very much Grooveski's archery meet last weekend it has really come home to me what a friendly and welcoming bunch the BCUK archers who attended were. That stands in stark contrast to the other archery groups I have tried, both focused on modern target archery, where people have seemed positively unwelcoming, a-social, sniffy and excessively rule-bound. I want to shoot regularly with a bunch of people who are just having fun and enjoying the outdoors. Maybe I just haven't found the right club - but my local one cetainly isn't for me (they looked positively disappointed when I turned up).

Is there scope for forming a BCUK Central Scotland Archery Club ? I am sure between us we have everything we need, we can probably secure some land on a regular basis, and we could do it with a bushcraft flavour (parachute up fire on the go etc). Comrie Croft could be the venue.

As a compulsive organiser, I would even volunteer to organise the admin.

What does everyone think ?

NS

 

[johnnytheboy]

Sounds pretty good, I have no archery stuff but have thought about it in the past, maybe the way to go for me as a novice!!

 

[Rob]

If you wanted a good format to work with, that comes with insurance and the like, you could always form and NFAS club. No major rules. No dress code and people just there for the shooting.

There are some others up your way too.

 

[Pandabean]

Sounds like a good idea, however may be a bit far for me to travel. I used to do archery while at Uni , but funds didn't allow at the time for a long bow so it was mostly recurve/target shooting I was doing. Eventually I just lost interest, perhaps due to the way it was run.

 

[JohnC]

I certainly try to get to this. I'd like to try a bit of archery and I know my son would.

 

[Cromm]

I think it's a great idea and wish you all the luck in it! Let me know if you need any help from the other end of the UK??

 

[MagiKelly]

I could see it working for monthly meets or the like. Any more regular and the distance some would have to travel would become more of an issue.

I think the 3d course at cumbernauld can be booked for groups so that is a possibility or you could have a rotating selection of sites.

 

[Grooveski]

I like the idea too. It was a lot of fun and very casual.
Rotating venues sounds like a laugh and since we're all scattered around sounds a bit more likely as well.

If it went along the NFAS route I think each venue would have to be vetted. Don't know if that means site visits or if they do it from maps. I'd arrange to get the farm on the list happily enough though.
I mind looking through their rules a while ago and thinking they all made perfect sense.

 

[DavidJT]

Why just Scotland? My club could possibly host an archery day meet, in Suffolk.

 

[Nonsuch]

Josh, John
How could we take this idea forward ? Form a club, apply for NFAS membership, start to book courses ?

NS

 

[Chainsaw]

There's a field archery course at beecraigs which I think you can hire too. There's more info on the SAA site here and here

All getting a bit official

Cheers,

Alan

 

[MagiKelly]

Josh, John
How could we take this idea forward ? Form a club, apply for NFAS membership, start to book courses ?

NS

The short answer is I don't know. Informal will be easiest but there is some safety in being part of an organisation.

 

[Nonsuch]

I want it to be informal because that's what I don't like about all the other clubs I look into. Replicating Grooveski's type of event every month or so somewhere would be perfect. Maybe each of us could organise a venue in turn ? - for example I could do Comrie Croft which has butts and fields.

Why is insurance such a big deal in archery ? Your home insurance covers you for third party liability for ANY sporting activity as long as it is not part of your profession. As an example I checked specifically about game shooting with my insurers and they confirmed I was covered already. I think the "join the BASC or you're not insured etc" is just mis-information to keep BASC numbers up. I bet the same applies to archery.

Insurance and club affiliation might be more important when booking a course however

NS

 

[Rob]

No vetting at all for the NFAS - they dont come and check out your venue, they dont even worry about where it is. It is just down to any event organiser to make sure that they arent likely to shoot people on footpaths etc.

Yes - your household insurance does cover you for some things, but I think that the £20 a year that you pay in is well worth it.

As ever, I am always happy to host something down in sussex, we have a whole wood dedicated to archery, with all sorts of targets and the ability to camp and have a fire while we are there (not to mention the treebog).

 

[Nonsuch]

Rob thanks for the advice - but here's what puts me off the NFAS. I'm not trying to score points here - it just really puts me off !

 

[Rob]

Ok - I can give you some info on that one. I am the H&S adviser to the NFAS and sit on the Committee - I also run a club and am a qualified coach.

For many years, there had been examples of people buying some kit in the local gun shop and then turning up to an "open shoot". What this meant was that people with no knowledge of how to shoot safely (or of the NFAS rules) could turn up with powerful bows, broadheads and the like and then not be safe. Whilst these guys were always looked after and put right on the day, there was a fear that at some point our luck would run out. You might have over a hundred archers at an open shoot, so they all have to know what they are doing.

That extra bit on the bottom of the form relates to "Full Membership" - which is what you need to attend an "open" shoot - basically when you go to a club and shoot in one of their competitions. When people first join, they are given "Provisional Membership", which means that they get the newsletters, have the insurance cover and can shoot everywhere other than at an open shoot.

Some people never bother getting signed off, as they are not interested in attending shoots outside of their own club. Those that want to can either get on a course, or get signed off by a club official - which lets people like me just spend some time with them in the woods and sign them off once I am happy that they know what they are doing.

Thankfully, the NFAS is pretty informal and pretty much lets people get on with things as they like.

 

[Nonsuch]

Rob thanks that's very helpful. I might join up.

NS

 

[Moff8]

I would be interested in a once a month meeting to practice archery. I would have loved to have gone to the last one but I had holidays booked.

 

[shogun]

i would also be interest in joining this...thanx allan

 

[Nonsuch]

I'm looking for some fields and woodland to set up an archery club. Watch this space

NS