Hunger Games sparks archery interest

Actress Jennifer Lawrence's character in the Hunger Games trilogy, Katniss Everdeen, is the arrow shooting heroine – and its popularity has seen a rise in young Shropshire girls taking up archery.

The Archers of Teme club is based between Ludlow, Leominster and Tenbury Wells and is one of the oldest ones in the country, having originally formed in 1856.

Club secretary Nick Comley believes the London Olympics and Hollywood have both contributed to the rise in numbers.

He said: "There was quite a peak after the Olympics, particularly of young people, and of course Jennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games has inspired more of the younger generation.

"The principal character in the film is a female archer, and quite a lot of young women and girls have been taking up archery, so it must have had some impact. We've seen quite a growth in that area.

Programme

"We do taster sessions all over the county and then when people have a go they find they enjoy it and want a bit more from it.

"People can shoot in their own back garden – but they aren't insured to do so. We therefore would encourage anyone to come along to a club as it is the safest place to shoot and we are insured.

"We therefore put on six-week beginner sessions, usually around May and September, for people to come and have a go. You'll find most clubs run a similar programme and we usually see about a 20 per cent uptake in membership afterwards. We're always looking for new members."

The club currently have a good mix of junior, adult and senior members, with about 50 signed up – an impressive figure given the population of the area.

The club have recently changed shooting grounds to Brimfield & Little Hereford Sports Club for the outdoor season before heading to Moor Park School in Ludlow for indoor action.

Despite competition from other sports, Comley cites affordability and the fact that people of all abilities can take part as two important pluses for archery. "Compound archery is attracting people to the sport, particularly those who would struggle to pull a long bow," he said. "Compound bows are assisted with cams so people who may have a form of disability can take it up.

"Archery doesn't have to be expensive. Most clubs have their own equipment, so people can use that for quite a while before needing to invest in a bow.

"But like most sports, the more proficient you get and the more inspired you are by the scores you are achieving, the more you are driven to improve your equipment. You can now pick up a bow for about £120. That would have been £500 or £600 about 10 years ago."

As well as offering great facilities, Comley points out that Shropshire has a fine pedigree of producing high-quality archers, many of them happy to go along and offer advice.

"We've had Danielle Brown, who won gold at the 2012 Paralympic Games, come down and show off her medals as well as Naomi Folkard and Alison Williamson," he added.

"We're also very fortunate at our club to have former European archery champion Kay Lucas, who was one of the members of the Archery Team GB.

"We've had a number of Shropshire archers who have represented Great Britain. Because Lilleshall, which is the Archery GB training facility, is not too far away a number of clubs are able to access those facilities. Archery GB has invested a lot of time and effort into being able to develop talent."

Although archery may be seen as a solitary sport, Comley says the whole family can be involved. "I started out in archery originally because my daughter took it up four years ago," he added.

"I used to stand there watching with my wife, as most parents do, and we thought 'that looks fun' and we gave it a go.

"We've all been shooting ever since. I think that's one of the best things about it, you can play together as a family and because of the handicap system, children can compete with the adults."

For more information on the club, go to www.archersofteme.org.uk.