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Hellingly Archers welcome St. Dunstans

Pictured: members of Hellingly and St.Dunstans in friendly competition.

Easter Sunday saw Hellingly Archers host, what is hoped to be the first of a continuing event. At the Lagoon Leisure Centre in Hailsham, fourteen individuals came together in friendly competition. Five of the fourteen came from St.Dunstans, the institute for the blind or partially sighted ex-servicemen, they proved that their lack of sight is no handicap and does not stop them from participating in various sports.

The sport of archery can be shot on a handicap system meaning that, with the aid of helpers who spot for them, the five St.Dunstans members could shoot on equal terms with the sighted archers. The challenge was to shoot a Portsmouth round and, with some working out, end up with a total score of 2002.

The shoot ended with two archers reaching the exact score of 2002, Cliff Ford of St.Dunstans and Vince Lade (Hellingly). In 2nd place was Ron Smith (Hellingly) and 3rd place went to Roger Lewis (Hellingly). Cliff received an engraved trophy which he will keep for one year.

It was Norman Perry from St.Dunstans who, while thanking us for putting on the event, said something quite meaningful "All we want is to be given the chance to show we are no different to everybody else". They certainly aren't, it was a pleasure to hold the event and be able to offer them the challenge of friendly competition and we look forward to next year, when maybe we can win back our trophy.

Hellingly Archers come of age

Pictured: some of Hellingly Archers members who celebrate 21 years this year.

Hellingly Archers this year celebrated its Twenty First Birthday. Started in 1981 the Club was originally known as "The Hellingly Hospital Sports and Social Club Archers". The name came about because shooting used to take place in the grounds of an old Victorian Mental Institution.

Outdoor shooting was good with lots of space to complete any round apart from clout shooting. Indoor shooting was a cold affair when I first started with the club in 1987, we would shoot twice a week in a tiny village hall at Horam, where, while the first detail would wait in the kitchen, such was the limited space. It was that cold we used to put the cooker on for a bit of heating. In the end we were allowed to shoot in the main hall at the hospital, it seemed a luxury, at a pinch we could even fit in a Stafford.

Members came and went, leaving their mark as they passed through the club. Some shooting for the Sussex County Team. Club records still stand from some of the original members, Jim Hunnisett still holds a County Record to this day.

Eventually following the closure of the hospital the club was forced to move from its location to a new home. The Boship Farm Hotel. Changing venues also brought with it the change in the club name. "Hellingly archers" were born following the break away from the Social Club. Today Hellingly Archers has approximately thirty members, senior and junior. Some of which shoot for the County Team. One member was previously the only male Master Bowmen in Sussex, and one junior member, Sarah Maskell, has taken part in the World Field Archery Championships. Hellingly has also sported County Indoor and Outdoor champions in Recurve, Compound, Barebow and Longbow categories over several years. Club members are currently holding some seventy county records and several national records.