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.
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.
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 🙃
It didn’t take very long after getting home to feel like Dunster was a distant memory! Home Monday evening and back to work Tuesday for a late, sleep, early shift 🫣 great to see the young people but emotionally exhausted by the time I got home.
Resilience – Resilience is the ability to move through and grow from difficult times. It’s a skill you develop over time from the lessons and experiences you absorb as you grow up and face challenges.
Well I have that, thankfully!
A chat about my week and the issues I had in Dunster, sees the beginnings of a plan formed for moving forward, great stuff! A few weeks also where flight becomes my focus and so that will help me relax and process all that Dunster was. If we go back to 2022 I had planned a week in Dunster, since this was the 150th I made it two. 2025? I’m thinking at most, longbow day but unsure about going back, time will tell. It’s been great for teaching me things, for which I am grateful.
Whilst away I had attended a number of online meetings and stayed on top of messages so that made life much simpler on returning home, especially with the attention having to be firmly on work.
lots planned over coming weeks so I will be busy at least 😂
Thank you for the messages last week for the 2nd birthday of Integr8archery CIC, I never take support for granted, and I loved all of the photos of cake! 🍰
It was a busy week and certainly hit hard by the issues that saw my peak flow tank to emergency levels, forever grateful to the NHS and the care they give. Thank you to those who allowed me to make adjustments to meetings and calls and to those who have had to listen to me squeak all week! For those who have known me a long time my Dysphonia is nothing new and the use of steroids and nebulisers always trigger issues but some will recall the 2 periods of speech therapy I have had to have in the past, the good news is that with the daily exercises and reduction in steroids things are slowly returning to normal.
Particularly great news as I will be helping Northamptonshire Sport deliver the amazing event that always sees the culmination of the school games, schools enter their teams for each sport that they have taken part in over the previous months. 10 schools have entered a team for their first ever archery competition – an indoor short metric. Exciting stuff and I cannot wait to share the competition element of our sport. Hopefully I will get a new photo of me and Blaze too, last one was taken 2 years ago! Still would love to see Blaze and Fletch on the range together – maybe one day!
One of the hardest things is having to draw a line under projects that aren’t working for whatever reason, this week has seen a couple of those decisions and it’s why I carry out regular reviews and keep stats on everything, allows an impartial decision to be made. I never say never, and where possible we have returned to projects and restarted after some down time, so who knows what the future holds?
New dates put in the calendar to see the rest of 2024 committed to some existing collaborations and also 3 new community groups in the calendar for multiple sessions, exciting – let’s hope we get fair weather for the new groups to sustain their enthusiasm until they get into the routine.
JNOC this weekend, and as I have taken the summer off from AGB competition volunteering it will allow me to be a parent and also to support a number of young people who always come and find me on the range. Time to catch up with friends too and I will definitely be carrying lots of hugs with me 🤗
Much of my preparations have been done for going off to Dunster week, so looking forward to this but expecting rubbish shooting as I just seem unable to get a consistent draw following all of the changes. Dunster offers the ability to have 8 days of shooting with a variety of things on offer, last year I took part in everything except clout. This year I have decided on 5 days and the 2 final days I have opted to make those the national rounds rather than the longer days that I love. Health and balance is important, if I want to go I have to try and be sensible!
With some understanding from colleagues I have managed to get time from work to allow me to attend two of this seasons flight competitions – I love flight it is my favourite of all shooting.
Have a good week and I look forward to seeing you all soon ❤️🏹
This has been a crazy week between getting my portfolio and presentation ready for assessment in the first week of June, dealing with meetings and project reviews, including a couple of transatlantic calls. Alway exciting to hear how the young people there are getting on! Super proud.
Went north for a couple of days for mum’s birthday, family time is always amazing and you are all well in the routine that I give one weekend in 4 that I am there – thank you as always 🥰
Not much to share really as a lot of this weeks has been behind the scenes but week 101 has loads going on including the work weekend so a reminder that from Friday afternoon I will be unavailable until late Monday.
Thank you for the photos and updates I have had sent over and the kind thoughts when I had to withdraw from my competition on Sunday. 🤗
Wow, it’s been a busy one! In everything but I have a couple of rest days from the day job and have crammed these full of meetings and calls, yesterday was awesome catching up with people who want to introduce archery to their groups, families, SEND, disabilities, teenagers with challenging behaviour …. So many different groups to be catered for and from 1 off sessions to sustainable activities, such a lot to look forward to over the coming months. Exciting and as always it all gets me bouncing and motivated, I will worry about the other stuff later, I can be doing amazing things whilst we wait.
Prepping for my first competition of the outdoor season is the thing that’s suffered as I kind of expected really, try as I might I always give to others before I take for me, though I have a little time set aside for me later today so that will be good.
Proud of my girlie who has battled through her mocks despite everything and we are beginning to get bits of news health wise, though it’s lots of – it’s not rather than it is, which isn’t helping get the information that we need for here yet. Her determination blows me away though and I am in awe of her. 🥰
Short but sweet for me this week as I go off to another meeting and then try and get sight marks for Sunday! I mean they would certainly help 🤔🤷♀️🫣 easing myself in though by entering the 50+ category, definitely a sense of mischief having discovered some people that this annoys since I am 49! 😂 it’s even been suggested that as I was on the working group who looked at categories and ages that I did this to benefits myself, sure the NGB let me change the national system just for my benefit 🫣😜
Have a good one folks and I hope your outdoor seasons are all getting off to a good start ❤️🏹
Wow! It never doesn’t amaze me what I am achieving with my “little business” – I hear dad in my mind often and his supoort and chats were so important. I wish I could chat with him now 🤗
I said I was stepping back to concentrate on the issues we have going on outside of archery but I am still very happy with the number for this quarter, what a three months it’s been – in and outside of archery! 🤔 but I think things are a little more settled though there are still lots of hospital appointments as we try and get answers outside of sport.
Mostly this is just another thank you, thank you for supporting me, to the many of you who have respected my reduction in hours given, it does mean I don’t have to stop altogether if I can focus where I need to when I need to.
indoor season is over, I am happy with the little things that I have achieved but haven’t been able to focus on my shooting so that needs to change and I have booked in some competitions to get my motivation back.
So what has been achieved in this 3 months? Lots of meetings, the start of my role as vice chair of NFDS, and as for bows I hands?
Schools – 93 new hands but some returners too.
children in care – 8
disability groups – 19
along with helping 3 people return to the sport, met by chance but loving hearing how they are settling in the new spaces I have helped introduce them to.
For a period that I am sat back and doing less I am thrilled with those numbers.
When I think back to 2021 and early 2022 and the plans that I had worked hard on for years and now things were going to launch from June 2022 to October 2023, the excitement of all of my work coming together across a total of 17 projects!
Then the destruction that was unleashed and where that left me. The amazing people who stood by me, who never gave up.
The decision, nerve wracking as it was to pull 8 of my projects out of that fire and create Integr8archery CIC and how my work in the time since has solidified my belief in what I can do, alone, but with the right people who I choose to work with.
The right groups and organisations that I have chosen to join or collaborate with and what I have been able to achieve. As I am looking at the latest figures for sharing next week I am pleased, they look great and that’s knowing that I have stepped back a little to concentrate on health and home whilst we await answers.
So this last week has seen 3 webinars, the Northamptonshire together fund event, some meetings with new interested parties wanting to discuss how we might get things started for them and a couple of review meetings for ongoing sessions, these are always a good way of keeping things working, and can re-energise sessions.
Lots planned for this coming week, training, studying and meetings, looking forward to Saturday evening and an invitation from friends made at one of our groups sessions.
So, whatever you are doing, stay well and enjoy it all. It’s true what they say, the dark will eventually pass, do I wobble? Yes! But I have most certainly found peace and the ability to forgive myself for trusting the wrong people. I am stood on solid ground, I am waiting for answers on something important, but I also have changed how I look at that whole situation too, I am never going to regret raising my voice for the safety of others, what happens, happens. Sending the email that I did at the weekend in reply to the latest step, has at least stopped the anxiety created by thinking of what I might write in my response.
On Thursday I attended the Together Fund celebration evening hosted by Northamptonshire Sports, due to illness I was asked if I could step in last minute to speak in place of another person. As I listened to Chris, then Matthew and other speakers before me I remembered that other life we all lived, that one before Covid! Do you remember it? Sometimes it’s like reading a book when I think back.
I was a mum, an archer, an enforcement officer. I was a regional safeguarding officer with a passion for my sport and the things I could see it achieve. I had taken that passion and the work I had already started in a number of areas to apply for and become an Ambassador for Archery GB, growing my projects and reaching wider and further than I had before.
I had linked with other like minded people and organisations from within and outside of my sport. I had started to get involved in some multisports meetings hosted by a couple of activity partnerships but particularly Northamptonshire Sports.
Then the news that we were facing a global pandemic, and lockdown was looming. The news that we all had to stay home and in bubbles.
The different areas of my life clashed, enforcing covid restrictions whilst trying to get people active. Working with the NGB to help, particularly when the initial guidelines prevented some individuals returning to our sport. Joining lots of multisports meetings to discuss our individual and joint issues, trying to find solutions. During one of these meetings I was listening to someone who is a good friend, who I actually consider family, as he described the issues in their sport – swimming and realised that I had a solution! But without Northamptonshire Sports we would never have had that conversation 🫣
Post covid I continued to work on my projects, building on the collaborations from before as well as new ones made during those many many online meetings.
For a variety of reasons, in 2022, I resigned as AGB Ambassador, created Integr8archery CIC and evaluated my work, reclaiming what was mine and stepping away from some things that I had put many valuable hours into but were not mine.
This allowed me to protect my work, the people involved and continue with only those who really wanted the best for those that I work with. Schools projects, disadvantaged youth, supoort groups, disability groups, archers wanting to return to the sport, archers whose health had changed and wanted support to face change to stay. Lots and lots of people from these and other groups/clubs I worked with.
I continued to attend meetings hosted by lots of groups/organisations from Sport England, Activity Partnerships, Children’s Coaching Collaborative, Belong. Sporting Equals ….. At the same time continuing to volunteer in other sports/activties as I recalled those conversations that we all need workforce to get and keep people active.
As a result I was often in the same place at the same time as Northamptonshire Sports and the amazing army of red shirts. I took a call about a local group wanting archery and the together fund being a possible source to help us provide sessions for them. So began the connection between Northamptonshire Sports, Integr8archery CIC and Wellingborough Muslim Community group.
Thursday night was a fantastic opportunity to see what we have all achieved across the county in the last 4-5 years, coming together, creating opportunities and collaborating to get and keep people active, from a wide range of areas within the community and such a vast range of activities.
Also a chance to discuss next steps, areas to improve our reach and possibilities as there are still so many to reach. I came away with a number of new contacts made and discussions started to reach new groups, and also some individuals who want putting in touch or introducing to clubs.
I am looking forward to what comes of this but also firmly stand by my believe that whilst we all focus on our sport I think we can achieve most by coming together with others to achieve more for those we want to reach.
