News Letter. August 2009

The first and most important piece of news is the club has moved from T.R.A.C.C. to the Polnicol Hall, Milton. We still meet at 7 p.m. each Wednesday and the Polnicol Hall is on the “old A9”, midway between Milton and Barbraville

It is very easy to find, take the new A9 to the Kildary junction, (Kens garage turnoff) and follow the old road south again, under the railway bridge, past the Milton village turnoff, and after the next right hander you will see a junction on your right and the hall is just beside it. Alternatively if you follow the old road through Invergordon-Saltburn-Barbraville the hall is on your left.

We had to move from T.R.A.C.C. due to the cost of hiring the hall almost doubling. The committee looked at several options to remain at T.R.A.C.C. as the facilities were excellent.

The first was absorb the increase from the club funds but this would empty the coffers very quickly resulting in no funds for repairing or replacing the current equipment.
The next option was to considerably increase the membership fees or divide up the hall cost equally amongst those turning up on the night, neither of which were considered viable in the current climate so the search was on for new premises and Polnicol fitted the bill.

It’s central for most members, has good facilities and we have the use of the hall for the entire evening so there is no rush to pack up and be out by 9 p.m.. It also means there is no increase in our charges which remain at £4 per night.

The only downside is the range is much shorter, (although Sandy sees this as a positive bonus)

and it can be a bit cramped on the line.

Prior to leaving T.R.A.C.C. we held the annual Club competitions which saw some very respectable scores in all the groups. Mathew won the Junior competition while Gill won the seniors with Malcolm in second place.

A new trophy was introduced this year for the member who showed the most improvement over the year and this was awarded to Lynn.

Other news includes the last committee meeting, which reported the club funds are reasonably healthy although the membership has dropped over the last year.

Two more members have been trained as coaching assistants and are applying for Enhanced Disclosure certificates which will ensure there will usually be at least two certificate holders at each session. Mel has had a busy time refurbishing the targets and butts and we are considering buying more flat bows as these are proving very popular, although it will give Mel more work repairing the wooden arrows!

During the school holidays the Highland Council again ran the “Come and try it” sports days T.R.A.C.C.. Sheila, Lynn and Mel ran the archery and over 40 kids tried the sport and several expressed an interest in joining the club.

There is also a strong possibility the club may secure some outdoor shooting at Milton and we will keep you informed of developments. So, see you at 7 p.m., next Wednesday night at the Polnicol Hall.