Author: Helen Sharpe

Week 134 – a day early but hey ho 😜

Helen Sharpe Blog with a message, weekly update

Tomorrow is week 134 but the next few days are crazy busy so instead of being late again I am doing this week a day early!

The last week has been crazy – classroom days for my Level 4 course, meetings with counties and officers who need support, with groups I work with to deliver archery, and 2 days at lilleshall with regions, home nations and archery GB. An incredibly productive week and now to mostly wait to see if we can keep the momentum going 🤞🏻

More than 1 person has asked me about the EMAS chair role, in all honesty I don’t want it, I don’t have the time! On Saturday at Telford I quoted “if you want something doing give it to a busy person” and I meant it. That room was full of people who wear multiple hats both in and outside of our sport. So I was asked to list what I do – here you go!

  • * I am me, that takes a lot of time! Full of quirks and issues – PTSD and Disabilty and a dark sense of humour! But trying to make the world a better place!
  • * I am a mother of 2 – a 15 year old and a 19 year old. They are amazing and we are a team, taking care of each other.
  • * I am an archer, blessed to be able to shoot for the county and an amazing squad.
  • * Integr8archery Club – chair and 1 of the 2 Safegaurding and welfare officers.
  • * Wellingborough Open Archery Club – safeguarding and welfare officer, second seat currently vacant
  • * Ebbsfleet Academy Archery Club – safeguarding and welfare officer
  • * Archus Archery Club – safeguarding and welfare officer
  • * East Midlands Archery Society (EMAS) – safeguarding and welfare officer
  • * EMAS representative (1 of 2) for Archery England
  • * Administrator of English Federation Cross Awards for Archery England
  • * Stepped up to become a Candidate Judge with EMAS
  • * Interim Safeguarding and welfare officer with Nottinghamshire Archery Society
  • * Integr8archery CIC – director/owner – 2 and a half year and bows in the hands of 4691 people!
  • * Northamptonshire Federation of Disability Sport – vice chair
  • * Senior Residential Support Worker in children’s residential care for Northampton Children’s Trust – including EDI officer
  • * Warhammer Hobbyist

If you think I have time to take on anything else then I will have to politely disagree with you! I might even sugggest that you become a volunteer 🙂

This coming week?
I had my latest meeting with the Sports Welfare Officers, discussing what I want to achieve and their support.
I have a meeting with NFDS, visit with a friend who has left the sport and wants helping selling their kit, a day of celebration for a friend with some awesome plans to make the day special, privileged to be asked to join him, a day shadowing judges at competition. Work, lots of work 😉

I will answer emails etc when I can but I have a big week ahead and I love what I do so look at the list of what that is, but please do not be asking me to add more roles because a line does have to be drawn somewhere 🫣😘

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Week 133 – busy week of learning 🙂🎒☕️💻📚📖🖌️📝

Helen Sharpe weekly update, Quick catch up

This week has been busy, busy, my weekend of working followed by a week of classroom studying for my level 4 Advanced Child Sexual Exploitation Practioner! Hard work and intense as you would expect with a course of this level and the topic, but at the beginning of 2023 I set out to complete courses that would give me qualifications to support my skills, knowledge and experience. The group of cohorts on my course and the fantastic tutors leading it definitely make it a fantastic learning experience.

I have had a couple of meetings for county and region to discuss ongoing issues and again, always a pleasure to catch up with fellow safeguarding/welfare officers and chairs.

Not much shooting done again! Not great news considering that I have a competition on Sunday! 🫣 but I have had some issues with my back so I am just going to go, shoot and enjoy seeing friends and let the arrows do whatever they do.

The next 2 days will see me at lilleshall standing in for the region so I won’t be about much. I think all of the emails and messages have been answered except a couple which are asking for dates as we all pull together our calendars and arrange events.

Stay safe, enjoy your shooting and see you on a range soon.

Week 132 new year, new beginnings ❤️

Helen Sharpe weekly update, Quick catch up

Schools are mostly restarting archery next week, which is a lovely slow start to the new year for everyone.
A couple of community groups were due back this week but the weather has gotten in the way there, always better to be safe and warm than risk anything.

This doesn’t mean I have had nothing to do, I have had a number of meetings around safeguarding and with new groups that we are starting over late winter and spring. Lots to be excited about and it’s given me chance to get lots of admin done, let’s be honest that’s the bit none of us really enjoy 😉

I received a call on Tuesday from BBC Radio Northampton that a gift had been left at the desk for me following the last interview in December, I love it and it’s a very amazing surprise, I do always wonder who might be listening and it’s mind blowing that people that I have never met thought enough to make me a gift.

Thank you to Bill and Kevin at https://www.northamptoncommunitysheds.org and I am now looking forward to going to meet them in a few weeks and catching up with them to see what they are working on.

Next week will be a little slow on the archery front for me as I have a week in the classroom for my Level 4 course: Advanced Child Sexual Exploitation Practitioners Course (ACSEP) so I will be trying to fit in some walking and shooting my own arrows but no delivery of sessions for me next week.

Thank you to everyone for keeping me up to date with what they are doing, I love seeing everyone’s news and you are all doing so well.

So, with that I shall see you soon on a range hopefully 🤗

Week 131 – happy new year 🥳

Helen Sharpe Blog with a message, Quick catch up

So here it is the last day of 2024, what does that mean? Well we all have to get used to writing down a new date! 😂 that’s literally all it means, along with I now have to stop saying next year for anything in 2025 because it will be this year!

The reflecting can be good, it can also be harmful so you choose if you want to reflect and on what?

I am proud of integr8archery and what has been achieved, I like to take this as another opportunity to thank anyone who has helped me provide archery to anyone, anywhere.

That’s really it, short and sweet, I look forward to seeing as many of you as I can soon.

Stay safe in yet another storm with crazy winds 🫣😱🌬️

My calendar is crazy for the next 10 months with family, my archery and integr8archery plus my day job, but always ask, I will always try my best for whatever you want 🙂

week 130 – 2 and a half years of Integr8archery CIC – numbers! 🥳❤️🏹

Helen Sharpe Anniversaries, Blog with a message, Numbers and stats, weekly update

That weird spell between Christmas and New Year will always see a half year anniversary for my “little business”. So make yourself a nice warm brew and let’s catch up with my numbers to date.
Dad was so proud and excited of the 6 months in 2022 and I will be forever thankful that he got to see that after the support he gave me when I was setting up. Now I share because it’s important to be able to see what I am doing for perspective on the tough days, doing things alone can be hard work at times.

For anyone who wants to read previous anniversary stats here are a few links –

1st year June 2023 –

https://integr8archery.com/2023/06/27/1st-anniversary-🥳-ptsd-awareness-day-perfect-timing-❤%25EF%25B8%258F🏹

2nd year June 2024 –

https://integr8archery.com/2024/06/28/happy-2nd-birthday-week-104-🥳

3 months into my third year –

https://integr8archery.com/2024/09/17/weeks-115-116-sorry-not-sorry-❤%25EF%25B8%258F🏹

So here we are are, (yes it’s 4 days late – day job😉) 24th December 2024 = 2 years and 6 months

The last 3 months have seen –

Education – made up of 14 secondary schools, 4 primary schools and 2 colleges = 183 people

SEN and Disability groups – 27 people

Seniors – 41 people

Children in Care – 18 people

Activity Groups – 53 people

These are all new hands holding bows, some of these have stayed shooting and joined our sustainable groups, some shot for a few weeks and some tried just once, the most important thing is that everyone enjoyed it!

1st year totals – 2061

2nd year totals – 1873

3rd year, half way point – 757

= 2 and a half years = 4691 individuals with bows in their hands – not at all bad in my opinion!

Thank you as always to every coach or helper that I have had, and to those who have trusted me to introduce them to the sport that I love, it’s a pleasure to see you go from anxious anticipation to relaxing and smiling and believing in yourself.

I give a lot of hours to this and they are all unpaid, Integr8archery CIC is not for profit, some of the work undertaken by coaches is paid but in return they offer me free hours too because we all believe in getting sport into places where people think it is not within their reach.

I have been successful in claiming some time back for myself and my own shooting which has seen this last 4 months become really enjoyable and some of those hours have just been moved to other existing volunteer roles, particularly safeguarding. My average hours for Integr8archery CIC are 21 per week, so I dropped over a third in the last 2 years, no small achievement. Yes there is a correlation between hours given and numbers, that’s clearly seen but I am ok with that, show me another non for profit company run by 1 person who is achieving more than I am, I will congratulate them but balance is important for my own health and I am stronger now and more settled. Thank you to everyone who believed in me in the summer of 2022 because I didn’t, and you gave me the courage that I had lost 🥰

See you all in 2025 – and remember if you stand next to me for long enough, you will no doubt find a bow in your hands 😂

Week 129 – blows me away 🤗🥰

Helen Sharpe weekly update

1 more week until the 2 and a half years anniversary! I genuinely don’t know where the time has gone 😱

It will be a stats up date and it does make me a mix of excited and sad as it reminds me that dad was so supportive of “my little business” and in those last few days we had with him he was so pleased with my 6 months stats. So I am proud of what I have achieved with Integr8archery CIC but a little sad that I can’t share this with dad.

Many of the groups that we deliver for or support held their last session in the week as they break for Christmas, a few have more arrows to shoot before the end of the year, I love that this sport that I love, which made them nervous is now part of their Christmas fun.

Meetings to prepare for the new year have been good, looking forward to some new groups picking up bows, I get very excited putting bows in new hands. 2025 looks set to be fun and I am looking forward to it.

I did get to introduce one of the amazing young people that I work with in the day job to one of the fantastic clubs that I shoot at, still anxious about having a go but very excited about the idea of watching again as they are definitely interested in a place that gave such a very warm welcome.

I hope whatever your plans for the next couple of weeks are you and those who matter to you are happy and healthy and you enjoy whatever you do, and of course if you are shooting I hope that your arrows fly strong ❤️🏹

Myself? I am celebrating a big birthday, followed by working 24/12 – 29/12/24 inclusive and, as is my annual tradition I shall be reading The Hobbit and The Hogfather 🎅🏻🎄 I have attended an early winter festival and made my charm and wish for 2025 which was cast into the fire 🔥 so let’s hope the wish comes true

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Week 128 – when did I last shoot an arrow!?! 😱🫣

Helen Sharpe weekly update, Quick catch up

I haven’t shot since the county match! Appalling! I will try and remedy that, but I cannot see it being this week either!

It’s been a week of meetings, clubs, county, regional, and topped off by a great weekend catching up with friends and supporting amazing archers including my own daughter who blows me away daily. Those who know her well, know what she’s gone through this last 18 months and now she is working her way through 3 weeks of mock exams and has not had much time with her bow, but it’s humbling to see her standing on the shooting line 🤗 my children are my heroes for certain.

Trying to plan some shoots to help me get motivated and also fathom my schedule of events for the next 6 months with existing and new groups and it’s exciting though very busy looking 😂

Jack’s birthday this week and lots of prep for a very busy Christmas with family up north, at home and working the day job. Give a little thought to those who maybe feel lonely or vulnerable at this time of year, check on those you can 🤗

Right, that’s it, short and sweet this week due to assignments for my level 3, my level 4 and some planning for some safeguarding meetings – sleep? Who needs sleep 😜

Take care of you and keep pinging me those messages about how you are and what you are doing, I love them. 😍

week 127 – some weeks are just the serious stuff ❤️🏹

Helen Sharpe Joining forces for strength, Health, Quick catch up, weekly update

The individual is at the heart of everything that I do and I choose people to work with me who do the same, it allows me to put the right coach in the right group.

A focus for me will always be welfare and safeguarding because without this nothing else will function.

I thought I would explain how that impacts my week, so in the last 3 weeks I have:

Attended the latest East Midlands Welfare virtual meeting, been interviewed on BBC radio Northamptonshire as part of the day of disability special, delivered my last session for 2024 at DISC, attended Corby Archers to deliver archery England federation cross awards to their juniors, attended a virtual meeting with white ribbon UK looking at gender based violence in education settings, attended an event hosted by the children’s society and Ivison Trust on the topic of child exploitation for sports clubs and organisations, attended a workshop hosted by BEAT around eating disorders and the festive period and joined in on the reclaim the night march in Northampton.

The other stuff I do, go to work, shoot, manage and review events delivered by coaches on behalf of Integr8archery CIC and spend time with my family, including my regular weekend with mum, all continued too.

Not everything I do sees me post photos, and it may not all seem exciting but it is all very much worth my time to keep everyone safe.

See you all on a range soon and if you are about, at the indoor nationals for certain ❤️🏹

Week 126 – white ribbon day 🤍

Helen Sharpe Joining forces for strength, Blog with a message, News, weekly update

Week 126! Integr8archery CIC was about owning the work I had been doing since 2017 and allowing access to sport to anyone who saw barriers in their way.

Sport is empowering in many ways and for many reasons, if you have been following me you know that whilst I celebrate what myself and those who work with me achieve there are some groups that, though I count them in my stats, I don’t say very much about and I never post photos of.

One such group is those that I work with in refuge, it is a privilege to be allowed in to the lives of those in these circumstances, trust does not come easy for them and is therefore something I hold very close. How these individuals see themselves is often very different to how I see them. For me they are incredibly brave and starting a new chapter. Sport has the potential to allow a person to relax and breathe and for a little while, daily, weekly….. think about something else.

These sessions are a mixture of tears, laughter, arrows and chatter, silly conversation, serious discussions. You can bet there’s a cuppa and often treats from cake to pizza depending on the mood. Sometimes I host sessions for the women who are in refuge to bring their children too, again these are amazing.

In autumn 2023 I became a white ribbon champion, this is a topic close to my heart and that I am passionate about- violence against women and girls. It’s not the only kind of violence and if you look I do have a page about other aspects I work towards, but this in particular, due to my own experience is particularly important to me. It is why I take part in the reclaim the night march, it was a cold one this year and whilst we remember the names of those who have lost their lives each year, locally we held Harshita Brella close to us.

25th November was the start of 16 days of activism and white ribbon day, why am I a champion?

It is only by raising awareness and challenging the root causes of violence that we can start to bring about change, reduce and ultimately end, violence against women and girls.

We can do this by:

•     Remembering the phrase, ‘I’m not OK with that,’ to use when confronted by so-called ‘banter’ and sexist ‘jokes’ to disrupt and re-direct harmful conversations. 

•     Promoting equality by challenging the status quo of what it means to ‘be a man’ and to ‘be a woman.’

•    Having open conversations with our friends, family and colleagues about ending men’s violence against women and girls.

•     Learning about what it means to be allies to women, and how we can speak up and be active in preventing violence.

•     Knowing where to find help, and sharing support with our friends, family and colleagues.

•     Wearing a White Ribbon can act as an important conversation starter.

•     Making the White Ribbon Promise to; never use, excuse or remain silent about men’s violence against women.

Together we can prevent violence against women and girls. It Starts with Men.

For more information, resources, and ways to get involved this White Ribbon Day, please visit the White Ribbon UK website: www.whiteribbon.org.uk

Week 124 – no arrows for me but lots of work done ❤️🏹

Helen Sharpe weekly update, Quick catch up

lots of admin and meetings this week, 2025 will see some new groups start which I am very much looking forward to.

I didn’t get to deliver any archery in person but love hearing how everything is going from coaches working with me, and I love the stories of success and achieving on and off the range, it can be what gets me through the meetings some days 😉

I haven’t managed to shoot my own arrows this week either 🫣 lots of work and some shifts to help out at another house, but a surprise visit and full inspection from ofsted saw us get a string good across all categories which is the reward for the hard work and certainly some intense recent months, my job is a privilege and I love it but it is exhausting mentally and emotionally at times.

Add to all of the working on my level 3 in children’s residential care and level 4 in CSE means the week has flown by!

Along with setting up my JustGiving page now I have confirmed my wing walking for next June and I am so grateful to those who have already started donating 😌

Right I am off to work and just a reminder that this week is my working weekend so I will be pretty much unavailable from Friday evening until Monday. Enjoy your weekend and let me know how everything is going ❤️🏹