Bowmen hit target with a top accolade
ARCHERY
WHEN it comes to community work, a Newcastle archery club is proving right on target.
The Bowmen of Walker are one of just 16 clubs across Britain to be awarded Performance Club status by Archery GB.
The club have been recognised for their ability to work with schools, colleges and the community at grassroots level.
Their support for top-level archers such as double European gold medallist and new senior GB team member Alex Wise from Newcastle - also helped then clinch the prestigious accolade.
Club spokesman Chris Wise said: “Hundreds of clubs were in contention for this award so for us to secure it is a tremendous fillip.
“It will help us to boost further our work at grassroots level and enable us to put on more competitions and increase interest in the sport.”
On Sunday, the Bowmen of Walker hold their annual Indoor World Record Status Tournament at Newcastle’s Benfield Centre for Sporting Excellence. The event will host up to 80 archers and the standard competition is expected to be very high.
A number of the participants are in the junior and senior GB archery team who have just arrived back from the World Championships in Argentina and Mexico.
Wise added: “The event is not just for top-level archers but for archers at any standard.
“Archery is one of the fastest-growing sports in the UK with more than 60,000 members to date - a figure increasing 10% year on year.
“Like many other sports archery lost its funding and relies heavily on local businesses and grants - so we would like to thank Merlin Archery County Durham for providing much-needed sponsorship for the Benfield event.”
WATCH out for a picture special on the tournament in Grassroots Sport.