weekly update - Integr8Archery

14 weeks, schools, communities and coaches

Helen Sharpe News, weekly update 4 October 20224 October 2022

Here we are, 14 weeks, and it feels like things are starting to click into place, but so much new stuff is happening too.

It felt amazing to shoot my first competition in one of the integr8archery shirts, and I was proud to see my new club name on the target list. Even more amazing to have a friend of integr8archery on the field with me, she’s played a huge part in keeping me moving forward this last 10 months and believes in me on the days I do not. We had said 18 months ago we would shoot competition together and I am actually pleased now that we never pulled it off sooner because it being this weekend made it even more special. Word of warning though for anyone going to Dunster next year, we are there all week and it appears we laugh quite a bit on the range (though not quite as much as I do at flight with a footbow).

The good news is that things are finally starting to really settle for the 2 schools who were badly impacted by the breakdown of my collaboration. I am grateful that both took a chance and after frank and open conversations have continued to work with me and we are building the relationships stronger than ever.

One is picking up their confidence and we have two coaches to work with them and their long term plans to get the school club back on track, the other is back on track for their PE lessons, school club and new group sessions all launching in the next few weeks with the support of three fantastic coaches. We have managed to cobble together a plan with their kit issues whilst that all gets resolved with the supplier, fingers crossed that will be sorted sooner rather than later but it is out of our hands really, though good customer service is worth a fortune in word of mouth advertising.

I have been approached by a new group following the multi sport meeting last week, the first of that particular group I was invited to attend, but always motivating to be in a room with others who share the same goals and I am looking forward to sharing our sport with some amazing chaps and showing them the impact that it can have on stress and mental health. I will keep you updated with how that goes.

Leicestershire schools are bubbling on and the numbers are exciting, as is the contact who wants to work with me to get other community groups in the area using archery to get people moving.

Thank you to everyone who has ordered shirts so far, the first order is all out there now and I am starting to pull together the next order. As the weather is turning colder I have now worked with Lionhart to add hoodies to the list and with big bobble hats to add woolly hats! You know me well enough that my poor ear is never far from a bobble hat! Details are on the Integr8Archery club and friends page.

So, take care and see you soon.

13 weeks is 3 months! oh wow!

Helen Sharpe Anniversaries, Announcement, News, Numbers and stats, weekly update 27 September 20228 November 2022

Today is the day! happy anniversary gift – the club is now live!

I have thought long and hard about today’s blog, the questions that I tried to politely answer 4 weeks ago are still being asked. However they will be dealt with at a different time, today is about what have I done in my first 3 months as Integr8archery. Having taken control of some of my work, work I have been doing for years, what have I managed to do with those projects in this 13 week period?

Well my Northamptonshire schools are still shooting, some existing and new schools have had some day sessions for different groups, resulting in me now discussing with a number of primary, secondary and a higher education facility how to get their sites up and running. 3 groups looking to have a number of children join my club whilst shooting on their site.

Hopefully continued involvement with the school games, working on a possibly huge Project Rimaya group and new multi sports collaboration in Northamptonshire with the activity partnership.

Some pilots being ironed out to get my out of school setting children back shooting, focusing on their return for autumn/winter and new children come spring.

Leicestershire is fast turning into a rival in size, likely may even be bigger than Northamptonshire – currently 2 waves of schools planned – the first a possible 17 primary schools going live, the second 12 schools from a combination of primary and secondary schools.

Plus the new development of low active groups within the county and how we can get those moving by working together across the county.

The exciting news that after successfully applying for various grants in the last 2 years, last week I received the wonderful news that the first grant I have applied for under integr8archery will see The Worshipful Company of Fletchers help Northamptonshire Carers.

I have joined forces with Well-being through Sport, the Sport Development Coalition, the Belong Network, and my amazing friend who is evolving her own work and has allowed me the privilege of the two of us sharing the space to safely find our way forward together whilst separately, for strength comes from supporting each other and working together rather than against each other.

I have almost completed the two level 2 courses that I have started in this time and I have, this week, submitted my application to learn something that will totally push my comfort zones but will add so much value to what I am doing, both with multi sports and disability sports.

So, here I am, after a very rough 12 months, finding myself that Monday evening standing crying yet again in the middle of the range, being given a very specific yet amazing brand of pep talk as I did and with the very generous support of people who believe in me, I now find myself with a community interest company and an archery club! It’s been a whirlwind and I cannot see sign of it calming anytime soon, but whilst amazed, I am also proud of these 3 months. Sure I get sad when I think of my work that I have had to leave behind, but my passionate belief in my sport and how I can use it to help change lives is stronger than ever, the work I have done for 6 years, alone or with others gave me many examples of how my quirky self can help me think outside the box to help achieve things. I haven’t lost that and now I have so many more examples to add to my list. I am grateful to everyone who has encouraged me, spoken with me, hugged me whilst I have cried, and who stand beside me in any way, special thanks to the coaches, paid or volunteer, who work with me to help provide what my groups need and for sharing my excitement when they become self sustaining.

As I sit here I know there are things that I haven’t included – my first flight workshop presentation, helping put on 4 Archery GB competitions, 2 were internationals, but my family of blue shirted volunteers are unbeatable! So many hours I have given to grassroots via my projects but also managed to volunteer at some running events too.

So, here’s to the future and whatever it brings us all and thank you to everyone who has read anything that I have written because I lost my person who I share it all with and you have all stepped into the space left behind. Thank you for believing in me when I wobble.

12 weeks!!

Helen Sharpe Blog with a message, News, Re-published blogs, weekly update 20 September 20228 November 2022

As I hit my 12 weeks anniversary of Integr8archery it’s on the back of a week of volunteering with AGB and I find myself heading towards another weekend of volunteering, it drew my mind to the suggestion that I have nothing else in my life. This is a conversation that I often recall and still wonder why the person who said it believed it to be an insult?!

Which of course then leads me to the first blog I had published by Aim4sport.

Should you be interested in volunteering but are unsure where to start, please take a look at the Archery GB website

Should you be interested in the blog, please find it below, should you wish to read it:

YOU ONLY HAVE ARCHERY IN YOUR LIFE !! – HELEN SHARPE

First published by Aim4sport on the 26th February 2021

Approximately 18 months ago, as I sat amongst the parents as our children were all in their coaching session, another parent threw these words at me in anger:

“You only have archery in your life!!”

As he stood there looking at me quite obviously waiting for me to argue with him and list all the things that I do outside of archery

My reply was in fact:

“without people like me, who give back – your sport, our sport, wouldn’t function on any level!”

So yes, I am proud to say I have, outside my day job and parenting, given much of my time to my sport.

On that day I could list myself as:

Archer
Parent of archers
Wife of an archer
Club safeguarding officer, treasurer and health and safety officer.
County secretary and county representative at regional meetings.
Regional safeguarding officer.
AGB ambassador.

I had also recently had the privilege of stepping into the county captain’s shoes to take care of the county junior squad at a competition when the county captain was away at work.

So, yes I would appear to have nothing else in my life other than archery!

Well, be honest, can you find me some spare time there for a hobby!

Those who know me well know I am incapable of sitting still with nothing to do.

What many see as a chance to chill and relax? I simply see as immensely stressful and makes me restless – often leads to mischief and trouble.

So 2020 brought a pandemic and lockdown, restrictions and furlough.

How to fill that time?

Well I started, along with a lot of the nation, by trying to work in the garden, it’s seriously neglected ordinarily as we concentrate on shooting those arrows.

This was however short lived when I stuck my leg on a tree and found myself with a hole in my leg!

So what to do now I have no work or shooting?

Lockdown 3 has also found me being approached by people new to furlough asking this whilst the range is closed and they have no access to the shooting that helps with their mental health.

I stumbled across studying, haven’t done any for a while so decided to see what might help in that list of roles whilst I was injured, furloughed and the ranges were closed.

Nearly 12 months on I have now completed 3 level 2 courses around mental health and safeguarding related topics along with some other shorter courses.

May 2020 saw the opening of ranges under restrictions, many people on the committee and coaches were on the shielding lists so with the help of 3 willing volunteers I took on the task of getting the club open, which was made easier by the many webinars and sessions related to archery and multi sports that I had sat in on since early April.

As we have rolled from lockdown, restrictions and tiers this has been my focus to allow anyone who wants to shoot the chance to be able to shoot. Our sport ticks so many boxes but in strange times many want that time on the range to help with their mental health.

I have worked with the NGB to get disabled archers back on the field last summer, when they do not have an agent in their household.

Now in lockdown 3 I am agent for an archer who is able to shoot under the disability exemption.

I am constantly in webinars, training sessions and meetings in our sport or across other sports working together to keep grassroots going.

Do I only have archery in my life? Probably, is it an insult? – never. I will work to allow people to enjoy my sport, our sport because I love it and all that it can give.

Would I recommend you give as many hours as I do to volunteer – no!!

Would I recommend you find a way to volunteer even a couple of hours a year?

Absolutely, because in my opinion, you will get something back if you give even a little.

11 weeks, productive whilst respectful

Helen Sharpe Event recap, News, weekly update 13 September 20228 November 2022

What an unusual week it’s been. We are most definitely living through history following the loss of the Queen on Thursday.

Lots of work done, quietly getting on with it in the background, being respectful of any directions are being issued around what we should and shouldn’t do during the period of national mourning.

My first EMAS meeting following my return to the safeguarding role, very grateful to have been given the time to look after myself before making that decision.

Meetings with 3 schools in Northamptonshire, 2 looking to launch their clubs now that the regular sessions have settled down, resolved some of the issues still working on some details?

My first flight workshop presentation completed and I think I now have some of those archers ready to take it up at competition next year.

Followed by my own day at the national flight competition, bringing home 2 golds, a silver and a bronze but, most importantly having great fun with my flight family. What can I say? Turns out that I love footbow! Who knew! Enjoyed the flight bow too!

Now I am at Wollaton Hall for the European Para Championships then the National Tour Final. Always fun to be amongst the volunteers who put these events on. I will answer queries whilst I am away but be aware that I am doing a lot so will likely be slower than normal in my replies.

10 weeks or 70 days? I know, it’s all the same thing.

Helen Sharpe News, weekly update 6 September 20226 September 2022

This week things have picked up pace again as people returned from holiday. The quiet spell was good for letting me catch up on my studying, tidy a bit more of the website and get different things signed up.

A couple of smaller events arranged and some funding applications made for some new groups, but without a doubt this weeks big news was definitely yesterday’s latest meeting with the new county. After several months of casual conversation with a like minded person, 2 months ago he set up the first meeting with a group of us motivated to achieve the same thing, I was there to use my archery in education project with them. So here we are, 2 months in, dividing the schools into waves, first wave decided = 17 primary schools each with a group of 12 children! So, in a few weeks that will see 204 children pick up a bow!!!

Wave two is pretty much planned, a combination of primary and secondary schools and a new relationship that will hopefully see archery move into community groups where grassroots sports have already begun to be introduced. Short term and longer term goals set, not a bad couple of months work in my opinion.

Some exciting things happening in the next week which l shall share as the week progresses, thank you to you all for letting me share what I am doing and to those who take the time to message me.

As I often say, it’s always important to say thank you to your volunteers, we don’t need anything big or fancy, it’s why I suggested the volunteer badges to Archery GB, they have made people smile when received. With this thought in mind it was wonderful to receive my card for the time I gave to the European Youth Championships.

9 weeks! Let’s get some things straight and then move forward without the questions 🙂

Helen Sharpe Announcement, Blog with a message, News, Numbers and stats, weekly update 30 August 20228 November 2022

So – 9 weeks in!

After 6 years of working on so many things at grassroots level I truly felt I had lost everything and had no choice but to step away from my sport, the sport which I am truly passionate about.

I have given 20-30 hours a week consistently for a good 4 years volunteering in so many ways.

But when I fell apart yet again on a range on the 27/6/22 it was in the company of someone different. Someone who knew the whole messy story and had a different way of dealing with what was happening to me.

I am incredibly grateful to those few people who had helped me get through every day before that. Literally helping me to breathe most days since 29/12/21.

But 27/6/22 was different, maybe a combination of things, but after a very specific brand of talking to I drove home with a lot to think about, driving time is always when I churn through thoughts, added to the fact, I don’t sleep – and I certainly didn’t that night!!!

I woke up with a determination of what I wanted to achieve, that maybe, just maybe, I do have something to offer.

19 projects, between me and my best friend! Collaborating on each other’s work and also creating new work together for over 3 years. Using my links to bring Aim4sport and Archery GB together as I continued my projects under my role as ambassador.

But the mess I was in had created issues within those collaborations.

In July with a serious breakdown in communication all round, I signed over all of my rights to a number of projects, regardless of who started them or of how passionate I might be of my work or it’s aims. Moving forward under my new brand with the 8 I have kept but hopeful that as no communication was causing issues, with me stepping away, the ones I handed over could fly without me. Sad? terribly, and I had so much still to give on them, but I believed it was the best decision at the time.

I am repeatedly asked what’s happening with work that I had passionately discussed with people. The plans I had described for evolution and roll out from May to October.

Simply this, Aim4sport is not and never was mine. Whilst I do still belong to Aim4sport Archery Club, I have had to make the very sad decision to leave as it is necessary that I can satellite the children from my projects and this was no longer going to be possible under A4SAC.

So, my company is now a community interest company, a social enterprise as was always planned. There is a lot going on for those 8 projects that I have kept.

Recent conversations with Archery GB are seeing the communication get back on track and things moving forward to help me.

Should my best friend reach out, there is much I had planned for the work that I handed over and collaboration between the 2 brands could work. If not, then I genuinely hope that he succeeds and that is all I shall ever say, so please do stop asking for my opinions.

For now, I am working hard on the schools I have on board, the many I am working to get up and running by autumn. The re-estabilshment of archery in a local disability group. Work with a local group who provide access to sports for the deaf community. Return to shooting for the out of school setting educated children. Several new collaborations and a bunch of new groups, not least a possible huge Project Rimaya development.

So thank you to everyone who has kept me going in the last 9 months, those who have helped since I made the middle of the night decision that the best way forward to protect my work was to create a business!! I know there’s a small group of amazing people who woke up that Tuesday morning 9 weeks ago to find a couple of crazy messages asking for help – and I shall never take for granted that they stepped up.

And of course, thank you to my small but amazing committee who have stepped up to join me in creating a new archery club in the joined belief that we can help amazing children achieve great things.

All of these people surely share my believe that we can change lives through archery.

8 weeks, big decisions and hard work but here we are!

Helen Sharpe Joining forces for strength, News, weekly update 23 August 20228 November 2022

8 weeks! This still feels unreal, but here we are.

So, I had to cancel 2 events whilst I was away after being let down and this never sits well with me. I am trying to make arrangements to provide something for the children who have missed out, so hopefully more to come on that in the future.

10 days at Lilleshall didn’t see me stop work on the projects. A meeting with a manufacturer regarding a prototype item that both Integr8Archery and someone else wants, sees that hopefully coming soon, but also a number of other items discussed along with some input (gratefully received), of volunteers sat with us sees several new ideas for new reactive bosses. Those who know me well know how difficult I find it to sit when I am waiting so please remember that 😂 – sorry, not sorry!!!

A chat with the National Governing Body regarding the pilot we had previously built for a new kind of club, just because the original plan has failed because people have stepped away doesn’t mean the plan has fallen apart, and they have given permission for Integr8Archery club to form and run the pilot.

Lots of conversation with my friend Deb Horn, as we have been talking for weeks, sees several collaborations starting and she will also be trying the new club plan, we have each found ourselves at the same point but from different starting places. Excitingly sharing the next step as we each aim for non profit ways to put bows in the hands of children.

Conversations with a number of people around funding for different things, all very positive and I am very optimistic about what we might be able to do.

Just in case that wasn’t enough I had some conversations around the thoughts that I have had about bringing my long held plans to start judging at 50 forward and the amazing amount of knowledge shared with the fantastic team of judges I was caring for certainly helped me with the thinking, for which I am grateful.

To relax a little yesterday we had our latest arts and crafts archery session, this sees us shoot to create tie dye shirts, always exciting and we always get fantastic results. Thank you as ever to Fii for doing the organising.

Right, off to sort the emails, stay safe and shoot strong.

Rushing towards week 8!

Helen Sharpe News, weekly update 21 August 202221 August 2022

A day late but I think that can be forgiven considering how I have spent my recent days.

This week has been amazing, there is no secret that I lost my way, it was taken quite dramatically but with the care and support of amazing people I am finding my way forward.

Seeing all of the juniors from across Europe this week has only fuelled that, talking to other teams and hearing that we all seem to have the same issues wherever we are makes me want to create what change I can and there’s certainly a lot that needs doing. But together we will do it.

Meetings with manufacturers and discussions about prototype products, the National Governing Body and how we move our collaborations forwards and after weeks of conversations with a friend with the same aims and similar work, definitely a collaborative team effort to move forward.

I am proud of what I have achieved by setting up my little company and being given the status that will mean I get to protect it going forward.

Now the work really begins – lets do this!

And those who know me well, know my long term plan was always to grow up and be a judge, conversations in recent weeks to consider bringing this goal forward, see my intentions cemented after 10 days with a group of judges who have encouraged and shared knowledge – archery is a community and you are never amongst strangers. I am passionate about my sport, that is something no one can take away from me, try as they did.

Thank you to everyone who has given me even the smallest support in the last 9 months, it’s been stormy and it’s not passed yet, but we will do amazing things together.

7 weeks – a day late – sorry !

Helen Sharpe News, weekly update 18 August 202218 August 2022

Firstly apologies for this being a day late, I am away volunteering at Lilleshall and I am not sat still for long. It is, however a great time, with great archery friends supporting each other whilst we pull off what has so far been a fantastic event.
I am looking after the judges and they are a great bunch of people from all over Europe and prove again that our sport can create the feeling that we all belong to one big family.

If you want to consider volunteering at these events please take a look at the ArcheryGB page for more information.

This week has still been busy despite me being away for much of it.

A meeting with the new county who are looking to launch the education project in their area, sees us having possibly 31 schools who wish to consider being part of the first wave as a pilot. Equally amazing and exciting.

Talks with new suppliers and manufacturers around what we want, both existing items and the development of new products.

There have been some disappointments this last couple of days too, but I shall cover those in greater detail in my mid-week update as I am shattered and have another packed day tomorrow.

stay safe, speak soon – and I will answer lots of emails tomorrow, if you are waiting on something.

Thank you to Malcolm Rees for the photgraphs – as always – great images

Another week whizzing by!

Helen Sharpe News, weekly update 13 August 202213 August 2022