Bowmen of the Tors Archery Club from Plymouth in Devon were one of the first archery clubs to apply for and receive a grant from Sport England Community Emergency Fund. The Club which has been running for over 40 years from a local secondary school applied for funding to cover loss of income from a variety of sources over the period up to 31st July.
At this time of year Bowmen of the Tors, like many other clubs up and down the country, had been preparing to host outdoor competitions, beginners’ courses, and community taster sessions. The income from these events, and the new membership that they generate, being vital to ensuring that membership costs are kept low for their members as well as boosting the clubs funds to help renew and upgrade equipment.
Jon Day, Treasurer for the club, explained: ”Before the Covid-19 crisis began, the club had invested in around £2000 in new targets for our indoor range as well as 3D targets for our new field course that we were in the process of setting up. The decision to make this investment was based on the club’s projected income over the summer season.”
Emma Martyn, Club Secretary added: “The fund was very easy to apply for directly online. We worked out our losses based on income from last year’s events and courses and used this as the basis of our application. We needed to say what we would use the money for and how we calculated it. I’m really pleased to say that as a result, we have been awarded £3720 to support the club.”
Getting people back up and shooting is of paramount importance to all clubs and Bowmen of the Tors is no exception. The ability to continue to meet the needs of its members and support the future of the club has been made so much easier because of the help from Sport England and the award has been very gratefully received.
