Lewis Humphries, of Norfolk, shooting at the World Youth Championships in 2008, where his team won the Bronze Medal

Holkham Country Fair

Archery

On the Cricket pitch, north of the house

Organised by John Watts of the Norfolk Archery Association

 

 

Archery is one of the oldest known sports. The bow, as an effective long-range weapon, contributed to the early survival of man, supplying him with meat, leather and fur for clothing, as well as a means of both attack and defence when facing enemies.

When the bow ceased to be a military weapon in England its use continued, for sport and recreation, among a few groups of enthusiasts following the old traditions. From the end of the 1800s to the present day, people have experimented with new materials and strived to improve techniques to achieve greater accuracy.

  
It is one of the competitive sports in which the wheel-chair bound and handicapped can partake and be on equal terms with able-bodied sports men and women. This was endorsed last year when Mel Clark, a member of Taverham Archers, came back from the Beijing Paralympic Games with a bronze medal. It is one of the sporting activities used at Stoke Mandeville Hospital for the rehabilitation of people with paraplegic injuries.

The county at the moment has five of its members training with the national squad with their sights set on the 2012 Olympics.

During the two days of the Fair there will be demonstrations of archery in the form of a tournament each morning, and for those who want hands on experience the Have-a-Go section will be open in the afternoon, where members of the Norfolk Archery Association will be on hand to help and supervise the shooting and answer any questions you may wish to ask. If you wish to take up this sport in all its forms, the best way is to contact your local archery club for which information is available at our stand at the rear of the Hall near the Cricket Pitch. Go on ... come and have a go!

 

Mel Clark, Bronze Medal winner at the Beijing Paralympic Games 2008