The Burnham company of archers is also present at BASC, formed in the early 1970’s we now occupy a 6 acre open shoot, with most of our archery being of the target type i.e., aiming an arrow at a target set at various distances.
We also include para-archery, a variety of the sport designed for disabled sportspeople, and is now included in the Paralympics. One of our ladies is aiming for inclusion in the British Squad for the Paris games.
We operate a full training scheme, alongside taster sessions for all ages.
We all know that archery was first used as a form of hunting, with the oldest known arrowheads dating back over 70,000 years ago, found in South Africa, we then moved to warfare, with its various varieties the short bow, the long bow and the deadly crossbow, this petered out in the 16th century and was revived in the 18th century as a recreational sport; the Royal Company of Achers, formed in 1676, places it as one of the world’s oldest sports bodies.
The modern bow is a different beast. Finely balanced with many guards for the archer alongside automatic release mechanisms, it represents the amazing journey from a means of hunting food to today’s sporting equipment.