Newport Pagnell Archers Newsletter June 2016

Thank goodness a month so dominated by rain is nearly gone! Our plans are well behind schedule directly or indirectly because of this rain.

Our top priority remains to support all those people who shoot regularly. Firstly, all the bosses now have improved small covers. The easisest way to handle these is to roll them up on to the top of the boss. Please attach the bungees to the eyelets at the side of the boss - don’t stretch them all the way round the back.

We are in the process of buying a new sit on mower. When this arrives committee members (excluding Ken and Valerie!) have promised to cut the grass at Caldecotte weekly, including the whole area around and underneath every boss stand.

Within a few days each boss at Caldecottee will have a full size face in good condition at all times. Spare faces and pins will be available from committee members at all club sessions.

As part of our improver programme we want to encourage more people to shoot formal rounds. The club’s “Rules and Shooting Etiquette” have been extended to describe more fully how this will work in practice. If you turn up on a Sunday in future you are likely to find three groups: experienced archers shooting rounds at 70 metres or longer; “improvers” shooting a medium range round; and “recreational” archers. We also now have a formal “Records Policy”, which describes how to record and submit scores, and which will make claims for club records and badges more robust.

Our membership is currently 78, including 16 Juniors. This is very healthy for the club and we plan to introduce Junior activities when we have the resource to do so.

We had a very successful day at the Newport Pagnell Carnival on Saturday 25th June. 96 people had a go at archery and we made £208 profit!

We have a Beginners’ Course scheduled for Saturday 2nd July, with 12 people likely to attend (11 definites).

On Wednesday 29th June Three Counties Radio came to visit to do a piece on the Olympics. Sadlyit was soggy and horrible, but watch this space.

Looking further ahead, we will have our next AGM in September. All club members now have access to an overview of the club’s performance via the published committee meeting minutes, which include a synopsis of the club’s finances and membership. The Business Plan agreed by the committee covers the period to the end of the 2016 - 2017 club year. At the AGM all members will be invited to vote on this plan, which will then become binding on the committee - the first time the club will have been truly democratic! We are always looking for more people to serve on the committee. Those who have demanding working lives make heroic efforts to support the club, but we need more people able and willing to take on responsibilities.