About Wolverhampton Company of Archers

The Wolverhampton Company of Archers was originally founded in the 1940's. Since then the club has gone from strength to strength, attracting many well respected archers such as Ralph Aston and Richard Court to name but a few. Even today, the club hosts the Aston-Macintosh Memorial shoot—a record status St George and Albion—in honour of the memory of both Ralph and his daughter Sue, with Ralph's wife Betty acting as Lady Paramount.

The club is located in pleasant rural surroundings just off Wergs Hall Road in Wolverhampton. The land was chosen and purchased for the club with archery in mind. The south-facing field provides perfect light for shooting all year round, and with the recent addition of a covered shooting area it is also possible to stay reasonably dry when the weather is inclement.

What sort of people would you meet at the club?

A very mixed and friendly bunch—archery holds no bounds as to the type of people who take part. We have able-bodied and disabled archers. Our archers come from all walks of life and all age groups, from the young to the not-so-young! The members of our club shoot most types of bow incuding Recurve, Compound, Bare Bow, American Flat Bow and Longbow. We shoot a variety of disciplines including Target Archery, Clout, Flight and occasionally venture out for some Field Archery. We have members that enjoy shooting occasionally, through to archers that have had the privilege of representing their country in competition at various international levels.

What could you gain from being a member of our club?

Whatever you want—you can spend as much or as little time shooting as suits your daily lifestyle, and at whatever time of day that suits you as there are no restrictions as to when the club can be used. You can spend as much or as little on equipment as suits your pocket, as the club has all you need to get you started. You can shoot alone, or as socially as the mood takes you. You could be a light-hearted shooter, shooting just for recreation or you could go on to enter club and county competitions, or further still.

We believe that our club has one of the best grounds in the county, and are fortunate enought to own it. This means there are no restrictions on when members can use the grounds for practice. However, this also means that we are all responsible for its upkeep. When joining the club each member agrees to help with this responsibility—this makes your use of the club more enjoyable. The following points are made to assist you in becoming a valued member of the club:

• General meetings are held bimonthly (usually the first Tuesday, but keep your eye on our home page and the minutes for the actual date), and all members may attend. All club matters are discussed and your views are welcomed. The Secretary should be informed of any matters for inclusion in the agenda.
• If you use the club house for any reason please remember to leave it tidy and switch off all electrical appliances and heating. All doors and gates must be locked after use.
• As a club without any outside financial assistance, we must earn any extra money needed to maintain and improve our facilities. We do this by putting on competitions, have-a-go stalls, archery demonstrations etc. Please help at any of these events if possible.
• Saturdays and Sundays are official club target days. It is a club rule that all members wear green and/or white when shooting. This rule also applies to all official shoots under GNAS rules.
• Always attend as many work parties as you can.
• When work parties are in progress, no shooting is allowed on the field until the work party is completed. Please do not time your arrival at the club for the end of a work party as it could be seen as disrespectful to other members of the club.
• Club pin badges are available for members to wear—please contact the club Secretary.