Newsletter - National Field Archery Society

Committee Noticeboard No 1
Coach Co-ordinator
PETE KENDRICK has resigned as Coach Co-ordinator.
The Committee would like to thank Pete for all his work
in this role.
Bernie Britton has kindly agreed to step in and take-on
this role.
NFAS shoots are NFAS shoots only
RECENTLY, some clubs have asked for shoots to be
advertised in the NFAS Newsletter and on the website
but these shoots have been open to archers who are not
members of NFAS.
Only NFAS shoots can be advertised in our newsletter
and on our website. Having non-NFAS archers shooting
means that this is not a NFAS shoot.
The involvement of non-NFAS archers voids the insurance
of NFAS members and goes against NFAS rules.
This may sound bureaucratic but this rule was brought
in a number of years ago following a nasty and acrimonious
accident involving a non-NFAS archer, because
there is no way of knowing the competence of non-NFAS
archers.
All clubs that advertise shoots in the newsletter and
website need to be NFAS registered clubs. The
Committee reserves the right not to advertise shoots
from clubs that open their shoot to non-NFAS archers
and may de-register clubs.
Andrew Knott
General Secretary
Police arrest archer
I HAVE been told of an archer who was arrested for
carrying a bow, arrows and knife in a public place.
The bow was unstrung and he was walking to a farm
where he was allowed to practice. However, the equipment
was not in a case and attracted the attention of a
policeman. He now faces an appearance in court.
If the court decides to take a tough line he may face a
criminal record and possibly a prison sentence. (It wasn’t
long ago that the press was full of stories about mandatory
prison sentences for anybody caught carrying an
illegal knife.)
It made me wonder though about on how many occasions
NFAS members are ‘kitted’ up in public areas.
At the 3D Champs in the Lake District a couple of
years ago, the Committee sought permission from the
police for archers to walk to/from courses, but that
isn’t always the case. At a two day shoot last year,
archers were told in advance that there was going to be
a problem with parking, so on the first day I parked in a
nearby layby and then walked a couple of hundred yards
down the road to the shoot with all my gear on full display.
It’s now made me think what would have happened
if a police car had driven past.
There’s a reasonable chance that a police officer would
have been understanding, but no certainty.
I’ve heard of several clubs where archers park on local
roads, so it is something to mull over if you are in this
situation.
Andrew Knott
General Secretary
Membership renewal and
helping at shoots
NOT everybody renews their membership straight away.
This is just to remind you that the new membership year
started on 1st April 2012 and unless you have renewed
your membership you are not covered by NFAS insurance
and cannot take part in shoots.
It is also worth reminding people that if you volunteer
to assist at a shoot and go out onto the course, you also
need up-to-date full or associate membership of NFAS.
Otherwise you will not be covered by insurance if an
accident does happen as you would not be covered by
NFAS Public Liability insurance because of your involvement
with the shoot.
Indeed, an uninsured ‘course official’ could provide a
‘get out’ for an insurance company if an accident happens
to somebody else.
Andrew Knott
General Secretary
Anonymous letters – no ‘Friend’ of mine
In the last edition I highlighted that a pathetic individual
had been sending me anonymous letters making accusations
of cheating in the West Country.
All anonymous letters go in the bin, but there have
been enough of these letters about the same subject
that I wanted to highlight them publicly.
The last letter was signed under the false name of ‘AB
Friend of South Hams Field Archery Club’. Of course, I
have no certainty whether this person really comes from
South Hams FAC, but I do know that there is no NFAS
member called AB Friend.
Since the article came out I have been contacted by
Charlie Friend of Herod's Wood Archers, who is very
annoyed that this sad individual is using his surname and
wanted me to make it clear that he is not the ‘AB
Friend’ who has been signing the letters.
John Cavill, Chairman of South Hams, has also been in
touch to assure me that he has no knowledge of the culprit
who is claiming to be from South Hams.
Both are rightly upset that somebody is hiding behind
a false identify to make accusations. As I have highlighted
before, this individual does not have the gumption
to put their own name to the accusation or to provide
any independent collaboration of the accusation.
Simply saying that “everybody knows that A & B are
cheats” does not constitute evidence and smacks more
of malice.
Andrew Knott
General Secretary
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