weekly update

Week 120 – friendships and arrows ❤️🏹

Helen Sharpe weekly update, Blog with a message

Archery is full of people who are amazingly supportive, share their knowledge and if you need it, often their kit! Of course, like anywhere in life there are those people who are less friendly, but they are a minority and easy to ignore fir the most part.

When Jack first started shooting he’d tried other sports and they had been what we had expected, friendly but often standoffish as everyone wants to win. Very early in his competition journey he had an equipment issue and would have had to retire had it not been for the boy who was his main competitor, he had a spare of what Jack needed and the boy’s dad fit it to Jack’s bow. The idea that Jack would have to finish and his son would win, rather than by shooting against each other his son might not beat him wasn’t even considered. We were stunned that day and without a doubt the boys became fast and firm friends and have grown together and always supported one another.

More than that I have watched my children, our family, make countless friends on so many ranges because we support and are supported by others. We all want the best for each other, always, of course we all want to win, can be incredibly disappointed if we don’t, but we also celebrate the successes of others. I genuinely do not know of another sport quite like ours. I am proud of it and those of us that take part.

I am grateful to the friends I make all over the country, as a parent of archers, as an archer or as a volunteer. I love competing but I am only interested in beating myself but I travel all over the place to compete or to volunteer, I firmly believe that I may walk on to a range of strangers but it’s likely I will leave at the end of the day having made new friends.

I don’t hide the issues I have, or that it is sometimes incredibly difficult to leave the house let alone pick up my bow and shoot. Not helped by the occasional rude individual who feels that sharing their opinion about me sitting or even how I am shooting, is perfectly acceptable. Without a doubt the friends I have made help me and support me and I am blessed to have them, particularly a core group who have stood by me throughout everything. Without them there would be no Integr8archery CIC because they believed in me when I didn’t.

This weekend saw me hit a rough spot with my PTSD and the night terrors wild, I know the trigger and I will settle again, but in the mean time a bit of support means more than I can say. At the same time a couple of friends also needed a little support, so we are an archery family and we pull together, all helping each. What started as a rough day on Sunday ended after lots of love, laughter and hugs. With arrows shot through the day. We all achieved what we wanted on Sunday and we all enjoyed our day and I never take for granted what we share, in fact I am immensely proud of how our sport brings out the very best in most of us.

week 119 – what do you think is the most important?

Helen Sharpe weekly update, Blog with a message

For me the most important thing is safeguarding – if we are safe we can build everything else on that, but without it, what does the rest of it even mean?

Welfare and safeguarding has been key to my day job for 30 years and threaded through all of my volunteering since I was that 16 year old in the summer holiday club for children with disabilities.

Work has seen me deal with many things from modern slavery to abuse, but the training that I have had over the years and ongoing CPD both mandatory and things I choose to do myself help prepare me for my welfare roles in sport, I feel it’s especially important to try and understand how different the world is for young people in today’s world than when I was a teenager, some risk won’t ever change but in a world full of social media and technology it’s also very different with risks I never faced.

As a welfare officer I have never been busier, I see this as a good thing as it is certainly in part as a result of a greater awareness of what is and isn’t acceptable and also how to raise concerns, it does mean I am busy though! So please do remember that.

I firmly believe that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and not just that of welfare officers, you may be the person who sees or hears something and the individual at risk may not feel that they can reach out so, yes, we all have responsibility.

I am grateful that my sport is accessible and adaptable and can be accessed by almost anyone, disability is not a restriction and it is known to be great for mental health. We all have a responsibility to ensure everyone is safe.

Ask yourself, do you know who to raise concerns with, how and where to contact the appropriate person? If not maybe it’s time to just ensure that you do in case you need them.

Have a good week and stay well ❤️🏹 see you on the range

week 118 – meetings lots of them, but wow!

Helen Sharpe weekly update, Quick catch up

Wow, what a week! I wasn’t allowed to shoot, long story but I am ok now and as long as I promise to listen to what’s happening with my body I am allowed to pick up my bow 🥳

but I didn’t sit around and do nothing, I have been talking with a friend for a few months about some plans they have for some space they want to use and how they want to use it, I have been over to take a long look and aside from learning that our definitions of the word shed are very different 😂 the space is amazing and it was a pleasure to hear her plans and ideas and a privilege to be asked my opinions. It is going to a amazing to watch and to be invited to help and support her – wow 🥰🏹

exciting times to come without a doubt and I cannot wait to share what she is doing because I am incredibly proud of her 😘

some reviews of projects, always, always a great time to look at how things are working and what is successful and what needs changing and in some cases do some things need to stop.

then an amazing afternoon sat with 2 young people – ages 9 and 11 and listening to how they want to help their peers, one has recently started secondary school and wants to show people how sport can be inclusive the other has just become a wellbeing ambassador in their primary school and both want to show how sport can be a positive influence on mental health. To listen to young people talk like this is so motivating because whilst inclusion, equality and wellbeing are my driving forces there are some days it feels like I might be swimming against the tide and these conversations give me hope for the future 🥰

Again, I look forward to being able to share news and updates on their plans over time.

indoors has started for most of us, which I hate but I am also pleased considering the flooding issues in Northamptonshire at the moment.

hope to catch up with you soon ❤️🏹

Week 117 – 2 years and 3 months 🥳❤️🏹

Helen Sharpe weekly update, Quick catch up

The anniversaries always blow my mind! I doubt it will ever stop, I love looking at the numbers when I hit those dates too. I love my sport and I am passionate about inclusion and access for all. It’s hard work some days but those numbers remind me it’s absolutely worth it all.

This week so the thing I really hate, having to cancel, weather is uncontrollable and I have to reassess constantly and risk assessments are incredibly important, the predicted weather didn’t arrive until after we would have shot but the county has been mostly under water since the rain started and I still stand by the decisions I made every time I cancelled.

Lots of meetings this week, the beauty of online and the ability to divert around closed roads means they still went ahead.

Looking forward to the next few weeks and some new things starting which is always positive. Indoor season looming which I hate and look to ways to motivate myself and I have signed up to the virtual archery league as in previous seasons, it keeps me shooting for sure.

catch up with you soon ❤️🏹

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Weeks 115 & 116 – sorry, not sorry ❤️🏹

Helen Sharpe Anniversaries, Numbers and stats, weekly update

Following the Thoresby shoot things all got very manic at work and required a lot of very long, intense hours and when at home I tired to concentrate on responding to Integr8archery emails and messages, ensuring commitments were met and planning and finalising details for new provisions and groups.

No shooting at all for 2 weeks just some clingy band work whenever I could to keep the muscles awake and ready for the county championships. Apologies to anyone living with me or trying to message me because I have been at work, asleep or in meetings ☕️

Next week will be 117 weeks which is the first quarter of my third year – it never stops being amazing.

My little non profit community interest company – reaching out to provide access to sports for so many people who think they cannot take part for such a variety of reasons.

So, numbers? (I know it’s only week 116🙃).


The first quarter is always a little lower because it covers the school summer holidays, schools are a big part of what I do, but with the community groups we have covered and the final weeks of the 23/24 academic year we have had the following numbers –

schools – 242

SEN & disability groups – 72

seniors – 58

Children in Care – 15

Children’s activity groups – 48

435 people in 3 months, I am happy with that, I love the laughter and smiles and the joy that comes with introducing the sport that I love to new people along with watching the progression of those who are wanting to.

Sunday saw the NCAS Open and County Championships and I was finally able to pick up my bow. A second bowman 1st class score in the first session and an expected dip in the second session, both beating the personal best score I set for the round in 2021. A possibility I may have set a county record for the double, claim submitted and to be confirmed, unlikely to be long before someone has beaten it but I was only beaten to the gold by 4 points and that, along with everything else just shows the work that has gone into my outdoor season is all falling into place.

Though the pain was high by the end of the day and Monday certainly saw me pay, I can say with certainty that I am currently feeling the joy that I felt back in my first outdoor season in 2018 is back and that is worth all of the work and effort. 2019 – 2023 were a rollercoaster of emotions and struggling to find new ways to shoot to allow me to continue. Definitely standby the care you should take in who you let into your circle, choose only the right voices to let into your head space.

A couple of possible outdoor competitions that I may take part in to spend time with friends and to maybe see if I can get the third bowman 1st class score, but I had marked this weekend as the official end to my outdoor season so I can say that on reflection I am incredibly happy and have enjoyed most of the season.

This week will see 2 new groups pick up bows for their first session so that will be fun and schools are settling back in this week after the return for the 2024/25 academic year.

Enjoy the week and catch up with you soon ❤️🏹

Weel 114 – some success in my archery and for groups 🏹

Helen Sharpe Event recap, weekly update

After last week’s success at the British Flight Championships, the NCAS regional championships and a successful summer of delivering events to amazing community groups I shot for the county this weekend. I’m not going to lie I was anxious as I hadn’t had chance to practice after the tweaks that we had made, I didn’t even have sight marks, but off I went and I am so very pleased that I did.

Our county squad is one of the most supportive environments you could find yourself in, and I have been fortunate enough to have been part of the squad since my first year shooting in 2018.

The Thoresby is a fantastic regional shoots and I and been lucky enough to take part in previous years, this year was even better, some of us have discussed it and we have no idea what the difference was but we hope it continues. We always have the family feel within each squad but there was most definitely a family feel, that we are all EMAS and though shooting against each other in individual, team and squads the support, laughter and camaraderie across the field was fantastic.

I came away with the bronze medal in my category it most importantly I shot well, I scored well and the whole day felt great, there was consistency in my shooting, though the many videos do confirm some changes which I had believed maybe happening as I tire. Finally the work that Martin and I have put in is coming together and we know what to work on next and I have a lot of optimism about what the indoors and next summer might hold 🤞🏻

When we only get the odd numbers and you hit right in the middle 🫣😂😱 only a 9! I love the long days of 1440’s and Hereford’s but as I can choose to shoot 50+ I shot my first ever Bristol 2 round. Great fun and great company.

Whilst there I had a chat about the plans to start me on my judging journey so hopefully there will be news on that path soon.

Work has been a huge focus for the last week and will be for the coming week at least due to some serious issues that require extra support and hours from all of us. I thank everyone who is being patient with longer than usual delays in replies to communication but I think everyone knows that I will give what I can, when I can and deadlines met.

I have also had some welfare/safeguarding matters that I have had to give priority to, so again please accept my thanks that these have been dealt with over some other matters.

This weekend is my weekend in 4 to work and as ever I will be out of the loop for much of it and I have taken some extra hours to help support what is happening.

Thank you to those who check on me and to those who share their achievements, I love hearing how it’s all going and seeing the photos you share with me ❤️🏹

week 113 – events for me and for others ❤️🏹

Helen Sharpe Joining forces for strength, Event recap, News, weekly update

This has been a crazy busy week, trying to fit everything in has been exhausting but I have pulled it off, I think 🤔

The meetings, online and in person were all attended. Crazy shifts at work all done and emotionally and mentally exhausting they were too. A couple of reviews were completed for existing projects. Plans to move short term to long term for 2 projects, created and discussed and now to get them up and running. The art show/auction attended and proud to have played a tiny part in raising money to enable Off the Streets to fund more bleed kits and I won the silent action for the piece that I had bid on!

Helping others to do their bits for the community is part if what we all do and when I get my desk set up in a few weeks this will be hanging on the wall close by for sure.

Saturday the decision was made to call of the activity session for the seniors group, where we are it was wet and incredibly windy, they had warned the tail end of the hurricane was going to hit but we had tried to remain optimistic 🤗

Sunday saw the National Flight Championships and I had decided to enter only 2 categories for a variety of reasons. In 2021 I came home with 4 golds, in 2022 I came home with two golds, a silver and a bronze. 2023 saw my flight interrupted for incredibly valid reasons. For 2024 I had originally set my goals as beat the 2 county records that I set in 2022 so that the new ones would see my club changed. Also to earn my next raptor badge having earned the Merlin in 2022.

The decision to shoot only 2 categories meant I would only have the chance to break my county record in Target Compound not exceeding 45lb. As I wasn’t going to be shooting the flight recurve bow. Break the county record I did, plus laid down the first of the 2 required distance to earn the kestrel raptor badge.

My little longbow measured in at 19lb which meant she was easily over matched in the Not Exceeding 35lb but I shoot this bow because it makes me smile.

I also ended the day with a silver medal in my compound category – not too shabby!

Monday saw the Northern Counties regional flight and here I achieved the second score I needed to claim my kestrel raptor badge 🥳

I also manage to beat my new county record for my target bow NE 45lb 🥳 excellent news

I am very happy, how could I not be, I am surrounded by amazing friends when I shoot flight and I would never change that! Flight is my most favorite form of archery but I have had to pay for putting my body through all of that 😱🤷‍♀️🫣

Tuesday I would gladly have stayed in bed but I had a session arranged for the amazing young people to have a session @ Kingswood in Corby. Another great session and thanking everyone as always for everyone’s warm welcome each time we come over.

The SEND sessions are an awesome chance for those who, for various reasons, have found other sports/activities are not right for them 🤗

I am incredibly proud of the young people who have helped me deliver the sessions over the summer, all 4 have been amazing 😎 thank you

The pointy sessions have been well attended and it’s been great watching the young people develop confidence with each session.

Without a doubt the theme of the week has been friendship, without it I would certainly have struggled in such a busy week.

Catch up with you all soon ❤️🏹

Week 112 – 26 months – it’s still unbelievable at times 😊

Helen Sharpe weekly update, Event recap

Another week in the bag, lots done too.

The Archery England Federation Cross Badges are almost up to date and it has been awesome seeing people pleased to have them and wearing them, picked up my shirt and hoody so now when I deliver in person I am on brand and I do love delivering in person.

Some planning and reviewing done and some admin, admin is so dull 😂 but I actually enjoy it I think it makes the OCD part of my brain happy 😃

I am currently dealing with 5 different safeguarding cases so please do have some patience as whilst we are looking after everyone these are a priority after my day job!

This week saw me deliver the first session to the group from Support Northampton. On a Saturday there are a group of like minded seniors who come together and try to stay active and also have some social time. These were a lovely group and there was lots of smiles and laughter and soft archery enjoyed by all. As we all know it doesn’t take long for a little competitive edge to kick in and this was no different 😂 but it was also very nice to see them supporting and encouraging each other. I am looking forward to our next session as they have borrowed the kit to deliver to another group, I cannot wait to hear how that went.

It was great to catch up with everyone at the Home Nations Cup and what a great event it was, great to see the fantastic feedback everyone is leaving. Well done to everyone involved.

Managed to spend some time sorting out my bow and very much improved and hopefully will manage a reasonable score at the Thoresby when I shoot for the county, but this weekend is all about flight for me ❤️🏹

Catch you all soon, enjoy the weather as the forecast is a little bit of a rollercoaster 🤞🏻

week 111 – where’s my coffee! 😂

Helen Sharpe weekly update, Quick catch up

What a very busy week!

Time set aside has let me get into the backlog of Archery England English Federation Cross claims and I am loving the messages from people receiving them ❤️🏹 thank you to everyone for the patience as I get this all organised.

Lots of planning meetings and this week will see the first session delivered for a new group, always exciting to get something off the ground 🥳

I have been a little out of contact due to some things happening at work which have had me doing some extra hours and also meaning when I have been at home I am shattered. I also swapped my weekend on this rota to allow me to attend the flight competitions later in the month so I worked this whole weekend which seems to have annoyed some archers?

Thank you to those who have been patient when waiting for me, to those who were not, apologies but remember archery and the many roles I have are volunteer so whilst I give 20 – 30 hours a week, demanding time isn’t going to help me find more!

I have also got a few safeguarding related things going on, these take my time, rightly so in my opinion but to give you some perspective I haven’t managed to pick up my own bow and shoot my own arrows since I returned from Dunster and I haven’t picked up a paintbrush since the weekend I went to the event at Nottingham so no, I don’t think I owe anyone an explanation for allowing myself an hour to go to a painting class on Thursday 🤔

Right off to make sure everything is in my archery bag for my session on Friday when we will finally get the tweaking done that we have known needs doing since the session we had at Christmas! So again, no I don’t need you to tell me what needs doing, trust me we know, but Martin and I always give everyone else our time 🫣 our own archery never comes first!

See you all soon 😊☕️🍪 and thank you for letting me get my moaning off my chest 😂

You are all awesome and I give you all everything that I can but sometimes I think you need reminding there’s a lot going on in the world 🙃

week 110 – busy, productive and fun 🤩

Helen Sharpe Event recap, weekly update
week 110 – busy, productive and fun 🤩

Tuesday was an excellent day, visiting youth festival at Lilleshall and catching up with friends, supporting some amazing juniors and having some conversations face to face to save some meetings. I took a couple of guests from Kingswood Urban Project too, letting them see our sport up close and in a competitive environment, both assure me they had a great day but also it was a great chance to see the sport I love and am so passionate about through other people’s eyes. Fresh perspectives are always a good way of reviewing what we see.

Some meetings, some confirmation of events allowing things to be firmed in the calendar and a Sunday morning brunch by the canal with archery friends as we put the world to rights – great fun.

DISC soft archery session and to help me and Archie this month the amazing Deb Horne who was visiting for the weekend lent a helping hand, I love this group and though we didn’t get many visitors this week it was nice to share it with a friend.

Despite the day job requiring a lot of my time this week I have kept on top of everything archery related from integr8archery to welfare officer and everything else I do too, thank you to the few people over the weekend who recognised what the last couple of weeks have demanded from me and sent me messages, never expected but always appreciated.

This coming week is mostly meetings, planning and work in the day job, except for Thursday which I have set aside for all things archery but in particular getting in control of the English Federation Crosses for Archery England. I am very much looking forward to get these little bits of shiny progress sent out for the archers to display in whatever way they do. For me it’s my hat, I know many decorate their quivers so I look forward to seeing some photographs of new bling soon.

Have a good week, stay in touch and for anyone who keeps an eye on my patterns for communication my weekend of working has changed to allow my to shoot my flight competitions so I will be working this weekend Friday afternoon until late Sunday evening.