Quick catch up

Busy, busy, busy – but some fun amongst the challenges too

Helen Sharpe Health, Quick catch up

Two weeks ago I sat on the line in my county shirt knowing that my hand was going to prevent much of anything, but I was going to have fun with my county squad mates.

I have had issues with the nerves for around 6 years and it’s impacted my fingers on and off. 2023 has seen it really ramp up and loss of sensation and dropping things is now incredibly common – I have broken some things that are irreplaceable this summer 😞 From an archery point of view shooting when your fingers can’t feel your release aid is a little tricky and constantly picking the release aid up off the floor is tedious!

So I gave in and visited the medical centre, nerve damage in my wrist, hand and the ulnar nerve – impacting my thumb, three fingers and hand. A lump of escaped fluid from the wrist that has settled above the nerves in my lump – not helping!

I am waiting on an appointment for nerve testing to then allow us to make a decision going forward, a whole bunch of things have been suggested in that appointment including some surgeries. In the meantime the wrist brace, those who know me well know how well I take to these things, like the shooting stool – I see everything as giving in, not aiding me to continue – I hoped to prove I didn’t need it, but it was clear, very clear that it does help, it makes a difference. I have to take it off for a number of hours and have to think about when to time that but when it’s on I carry things, when it’s off I drop them 🙃 it works then!

Having to wear the wrist brace means I have to think about release aids. Yesterday saw me on the field and trying options, yes the photos aren’t pretty – you can’t adjust the bow for each when you are trying multiple and flipping back and forth asking questions! So judge if you like but I am not asking for hints and tips on draw – thank you for the advice, social media is awesome for armchair coaching!

Easy option is stay with what I use and tie it to me, but we have to consider the long term, which lends itself to the wrist release. Absolutely will mean working my backside off over the indoor season but I started to flesh out my plan and create a little team to support me. Good old pen and paper and a table – whoop all those hours at school wondering when I would ever do this as an adult – even played with the glittery highlighters 😂

So my hand it would appear going to be wearing the wrist brace and a wrist release, well at least it’s going to help keep it warm over the winter – right? Silver lining right there 😂🫣

What else have I been doing? Conference with the Muslim Sport Foundation and meetings with Sport England and a couple of new community groups, getting back to what’s important – introducing people to our sport, people who think they are not welcome to pick up a bow. More to come on these over the next few weeks.

Today I shall be at DISC, I love this group they are so welcoming and we smile – a lot. Then off to Towcester to shoot with friends and just practise using my release aid whilst it’s tied to me as I have a couple more shoots planned and I am not playing with the wrist release in competition.

Have a good Sunday ❤️🏹 Can’t wait to hear how Rose and the Northamptonshire Junior Team got on today.

Not going to lie, the decision to use my middle finger for the wrist release and not my index finger, does feel poetic 😜

Also, my hair is growing back! Who knows for how long but last weekend at work didn’t see it all jump off my head so maybe it will stay a little while, notice the white hair is always the first to grow back 🫣😂

Quick update – you should see less disruption, down for a while but definitely not out – thank you for your support ❤️🏹

Helen Sharpe Blog with a message, Health, Quick catch up

I had huge plans for the summer and it simply hasn’t quite worked out, I am picking everything back up and the effects of that should be seen in the next few weeks. Thank you for your patience, most of you know that Integr8Archery is just me, sometimes the size of it all is a little overwhelming but I love it all the same. A lot of the projects simmer down over the summer so logically it was always going to carry the risk that if I relaxed the issues I have personally would bubble up and they did.

Nothing serious – she says 😂😂 but combined have a large impact on my day to day.

My head space – having had to go back to counselling last year that was doing ok but we had plateaued and needed something new, unsure of what that should look like I took a step in to The Frank Bruno Foundation and the foundations for my next steps have been laid and a new phase to my journey has begun.

All of those joints, if you know me you know I describe my body as second hand and the first person crashed it 😂 few joints aren’t impacted.

When I started shooting in 2018 I was fairly sure I would have two years and set about cramming as much as possible into that. With the help of Ben, as it started to breakdown we have managed to keep it going and it does throw new things regularly and we tweak and move on. I am not going to lie, the tweaking gets harder but I have my bucket list for 2025 and I really want to shoot until the end of that year and tick those boxes!

There are no surprises – my lower back, my shoulder and my hand have really had a party in 2023!!! Scores are poor but the last few weeks Martin and I have started to make some changes that seem to be the start of making it all better, I have no doubt more tweaks will be needed and I am grateful to have someone who will help me.

My hands? Grip has been a problem for many years – often drop things, glasses enter our house at great risk 😬 This year has seen the issues increase significantly and it’s not uncommon to see me dropping things 🤷‍♀️ this week a couple of new things have happened and it will be a trip to the doctor Wednesday – maybe there are clues because what has always been invisible now has a very visible indicator!

My blood, it was struggling and certainly into the beginning of summer was hard to manage, it’s not amazing but I have worked hard and it’s stabilised at fair to good 🤞🏻 so if I build on this then hopefully it can only get better, the next set of blood tests will confirm or deny if I have achieved what I think I have.

Just for a little added extra the tree bite has kicked off this summer, maybe with everything else I have just been walking differently and so antagonised it, who knows but it’s always interesting to suddenly have reduced sensation in my foot!

Anyhow, the point is I needed to focus on this stuff, the work isn’t done, it’s never going to be, but I can get my head down and crack on with all things archery, so expect it all to pick up in the next week or so. Helped also by my day job sitting down and helping me find a way to stay in a job I love but saw me loose me for a while whilst I gave everything to them and my family and left nothing in the tank for me – fantastic as I do love working in that crazy house 🙃

Thank you especially to Clair, Ben, Pip, Dan, Will, Martin, AOR and of course Jack and Rose ❤️🏹

Today I am off to shoot some arrows and eat burgers at AOR before heading up to Derbyshire to spend time with mum and shoot for the county tomorrow. The love the county squad show me is never taken for granted 🤗

To my flight family, I shall really miss you tomorrow and I am sad that I have missed out on my flight season this year. Love you all and I have already set about planning to see you all next year 🥰🏹

Have a great weekend and never underestimate what you all give me, on the tough days you keep me going thank you 😊

What I do is a privilege – thank you

Helen Sharpe Blog with a message, News, Quick catch up

I often think back to January 2022 when I was giving a friend a lift, and I was asked why do you do all this, why volunteer so many of your hours to do the things that you do, what do you get out of it. That person is paid for everything that they do in sport, it’s a business and my choice to give my time for free clashed with their own view.

I personally think there’s a place for both and I don’t question those who do it for payment, giving my time for free with Integr8Archery and everything else that I do, and all of the years of volunteering before is exhausting and it certainly would be easier if I didn’t have to do a paid job to allow me to do it for free. First years stats show I averaged 26 hours a week – that’s a lot but I love it!

There’s variety in what I do, introducing new people to our sport, enabling self sustainability of groups by providing mentoring, supporting existing archers who are struggling, some have been bullied with in the sport, some are facing changes if they want to remain but have worries and anxiety, some have put down a bow because of some of these mentioned issues but would like support to return.

There are days that it’s tough, really hard work, the balance from a day job that is shifts, can be intense and requires all of me when on shift. Coming home exhausted, finding time to shoot my bow, dealing with my own health issues, making a brew and cracking on with meetings, emails, calls to arrange shooting for others, in whatever way possible.

But I love it, the hard thing is doing it alone, some days wanting to sit and share, good days, bad days, those who have worked with me know that some days I literally bounce as the ideas flow and I see things coming together – sharing that is great but I don’t get much opportunity to do that now.

There are those who find it irritating that I do all of this! Why it bothers anyone I do not know, there’s plenty to be done, crack on with your own thing and I wish you the very best of luck with it! Genuinely because the more of us out there doing anything for our sport means there are more people shooting and getting something from it. It gives so many things to so many people, we should be celebrating what we are all achieving.

Which brings me to what do I get out of this? The messages and updates, how things are going, what achievements have been made, and success is measured in so many ways.

The last couple of weeks have been this for someone I haven’t known long but who let me in, wanting to return to archery but things have changed and they had concerns about returning. The photo at the top of this blog is the very amazing Niamh returning to the range, the one at the bottom – one of several sent to me yesterday from the flight competition she attended.

It is a privilege to be part of anyone’s journey and some chat with me and take ideas and go off to do the things we have chatted about, some contact me some time later and update me, some stay with me, share often, message me to discuss worries along the way, some when they are on ranges struggling and thinking they need to quit.

I was once told that I was carried in someone’s pocket, their greatest cheerleader, their greatest believer, the person who never questions anyone’s right to be on the shooting line. This is a great privilege – to be allowed to support a person when they feel they’re most vulnerable. Thank you to everyone who lets me in, lets me stay and shares their successes and achievements no matter if it’s a small step or a huge leap.

So the answer to that question, why do I do what I do, give all of my time for free? Why wouldn’t I, why wouldn’t I do what I can to give anyone the peace they find on a range?

Sorry this Saturday blog is two days late, Saturday I should have been home at 22:00 but it was nearer 1:00 Sunday and as result I didn’t get to go to my beloved flight shoot, which means this year I will not get a flight season. I took Sunday to look after me, I needed that. Sometimes we need to look after ourselves to allow us to give to others and those that know me, know it’s rare I do that.

Thank you, as always for reading what I write. For allowing me to share some of what is happening with Integr8Archery CIC.

Crazy, busy but very serious – all about safeguarding so far this week 🫶

Helen Sharpe Blog with a message, Quick catch up

This has been an incredibly serious and busy week, pretty much all along the lines of safeguarding.

A multi sports meeting around the topic of safeguarding and wellbeing. I find these kinds of meetings fascinating, frustrating and inspiring if they are my sport, multi sport or work related. You have the opinions about titles – safeguarding, welfare, child protection officers ……… and many more.

The debate about what is expected of those who take up such roles and does this vary depending on where within structure – club, county, regional, national levels. Are expectations varied depending upon if you are paid or a volunteer?

Then we enter the debate about who is responsible for safeguarding! Just those with the job title, wider committee, dare I say it? EVERYONE!

Then how do we deal with things, take details and hand it off and walk away, stay and help, support ……

Is a safeguarding course enough or should there be continuous CPD?

These meetings can take hours of unmanaged and at some point I usually feel my temper triggered. However I always come away equally inspired to have usually found others, who like me, take it incredibly seriously and one of, if not the most important topics we deal with.

Many of us who volunteer in these roles also work in something similar or connected to the issues we deal with and as such we take it incredibly seriously, the understanding of what matters left undealt with can lead too in the long term. We also understand why it’s vital those of us in these roles have a supportive network to turn to.

Anyhow it was, as always, a productive evening with links created.

Some virtual catch ups for me with a couple of archers who I have been supporting for a long time, great to catch up, see how they are getting on, discuss a couple of worries and create a plan for going forward.

Then a huge crash as something happened that threatened my feeling of safety and the work I have done to look after me. Thankfully I have people who reached out.

Some news that prompted some reviews of big issues that I have been dealing with for some time and firm decisions that I have made around who I now involve in these to further issues that are just not being resolved. Ultimately I need to know I did every to keep everyone safe and sometimes that requires more than 1 agency.

Risk assessments for young people at work and as always the disappointment that opportunities were missed for these and help that might have been sought sooner, that could have made a massive difference and reduction in trauma sorrowfully missed and now we look at how best to support recovery. This just makes the conversations around sport more focussed as I fully understand the damage of things left undealt with can do.

Last night dealing with a raid traffic accident outside of work for several hours and wondering how the gentleman is today, his prognosis and recovery and his family, hopefully they are all ok and being supported now and through the states of whatever happens. The crew for police interceptors was on scene so maybe I might find out in some months when that airs but I am fairly confident I managed to avoid being in shot, I am well practised in avoiding them when out with the roads policing officers and when they are in the officers trying to get footage when I have been at work 🤔🙃 No desire to pop up in tv shows 🫣

So apologies if you are waiting on something, I have been a tad busy with other stuff, I will get there in the next few days.

Hope you are all well and enjoying your weekend. See you all soon I am sure ❤️🏹

Remember – if those of us who care join together we can change things 🫶

All weather sport, right? 😂🫣❤️🏹

Helen Sharpe Quick catch up

For the most part the weather doesn’t appear to have gotten the memo about it being summer! 😂

We archers drive around with a car full of clothing for every weather as we often get 4 seasons in one day, but the wet is getting a little boring for now.

This weekend sees the first of the three flight competitions which will happen over 5 weekends and see the 2023 season in the bag, so rain or not I am off to Cumbria for the first of them. Great to catch up in person with my flight friends and then fling some arrows, flight is what I love the most.

I have been working hard to find somewhere to host a competition down here and the grounds I had though I had sourced fell through but now if we can make the timings right I might have an alternative venue that will see us add another competition to the flight calendar 🤞🏻

So whatever this weekend sees you doing, take care and enjoy yourselves ❤️🏹 I will see you on the other side of the weekend 😊

Midweek catch up – I’m getting there! 🙃

Helen Sharpe Quick catch up, weekly update


It’s been a busy, busy week. Meetings in person and virtual, project related, new and reviews. Children’s coaching collaborative- always great for reminding me why I do what I do. Webinars and meetings booked for the coming weeks and two conferences, Birmingham and Manchester so some new networking and idea sharing.

Some great news from some people who have been keeping me in touch with their progress, always lovely to hear.

A possible venue if we can make their dates of availability work with the competition calendar for the flight competition I have been trying to arrange to bring flight further down the country whilst adding to the calendar for those of us who already shoot it.

Processing Dunster and looking at how to move forward to keep a bow in my hand, hopefully we can achieve that.

Spending some quality time with Rose as it’s the school holidays has been fantastic, she’s amazing company and has a wicked sense of humour.

Attended my first proper sessions at The Frank Bruno Foundation and enjoyed it whilst bringing home some ideas to help with the work that I am doing on my head space. Never be afraid to reach out for help, it’s scary but help is there.

Right off to refill my mug as I appear to have run out of coffee and crack on with all these emails that I have still to do.

Have a great weekend, if you are shooting the 3rd Caswell I may see you as I am hoping to pop over after my shift, be gentle with me I will have been at work for 25 hours 🙃🫣

See you all soon I am sure.

Dunster – promised as part of my healing, let’s do this!

Helen Sharpe Health, Quick catch up

There are things we hear talked about on archery ranges, the Vegas in Vegas (set 5 years ago as part of my 50th birthday celebration and the plan is indeed to do that in spring 2025 and maybe also the flight on the salt plains that summer).

One of the things people talk of is Dunster – 8 days of shooting, covering a variety and range of competitions over the week.

Last June 3 friends arranged that the 4 of us would spend the day together on the Wednesday – longbow day. Just to watch (though I soon found us a job to volunteer for 🫣😂). I was in a bad place, seriously hurting and trying to find my way after giving up on life and everything else in May. I was living day by day in fact I was taking it one step at a time – literally breaking time into 15 minute blocks to get through every day.

By the time the day was over we had made a plan, if I worked hard and could pull it all together I would join my friend and we would come to Dunster for 8 days. So I sat down and made my goals, physical and mental health, a plan for 13 months.

It turned out someone important in my life left me that day, though I wasn’t to know that as they didn’t tell me, in fact that day they said “call me tomorrow” and they never took another call or spoke with me again.

A week later dad got his diagnosis and focus changed for everyone.

The plan for working on my archery didn’t go to plan as I made time priorities about dad and as a result not shooting, though I did occasionally manage to get to a range and the focus was helping me feel safe, stopping the crying and the throwing up.

Therapy sessions continued and gradually reduced in number and I worked hard on everything.

So here I am now, 13 months after setting that goal to life long enough, find a way to make living something I wanted to do. I can stand on a range and not cry, I can arrive and leave smiling, there’s the occasional wobble but I have support. It takes a village for sure.

I have tested the boundaries and worked on how to manage my pain for endurance because 8 days is going to need endurance! Last weekend saw this reach its goal of the double Windsor on the Sunday.

My scores have not been a priority, I do not have a coach, likely never will again. I do however have coaches who are friends and will sit and hear me out and spend time with me listening to my theories and helping me. I have a county captain who has been awesome and spent time on the range being my spare set of hands and eyes.

Here I sit in our little holiday home having been out and explored with my friend, visiting places I haven’t been for a while, exploring galleries and shops and chatting with people. We popped along to Dunster and made ourselves useful for a while and I am excited for what this week brings. New experiences, proof of how I am healing and laughter – lots of laughter, may be a few tears but hopefully not many.

I will be updating how Dunster is going and this week the focus is about me, something I have never done. It’s new for us all. I will occasionally sit down and answer emails etc but don’t be expecting me to respond swiftly as I usually do. This is my week and I make no apologies for it. I have worked hard to get here and I am going to enjoy it.

See you all soon, take care of you and by all means let me know how you are doing.

Busy week and humbling 🤗

Helen Sharpe Quick catch up, weekly update

A long day today and my back is screaming so an early shower and pjs to end my volunteering at competition day 1 of JNOC. Later arrival than planned for Friday didn’t see me get chance to do much work yesterday but did give me chance to sit and catch up with the friends who are my competition family after dinner.

What can I say about this week so far? I am blown away!
By the response and messages to my celebration of the 1st birthday of Integr8Archery and the post by Northamptonshire Sports.

Several meetings including the latest Children’s Coaching Collaborative, coffee and catch up, the first following the launch of the play their way campaign. A couple of meetings set with contacts from here so it will be interesting to see what they lead to.
Very much on my mind today as I dealt with tears on the range, and coaches behaving badly!

The latest magazine is a packed edition and looks fabulous, and you might recognise mention of a CIC in there and some photos of some of us! 😜

Hope your weekend is going well, back out at Lilleshall tomorrow so off to rest and see what I can do with my back.

Stay safe ❤️🏹


Running towards that 1st anniversay 🥰

Helen Sharpe Quick catch up

This week is flying by! So much to do! 2 delivered sessions for different groups this week so far and two this weekend! Not sure bout that rain cloud that’s heading this way, time for it to pass before the group start shooting at 13:30 though 🤞🏻 whenever I tell newbies that ours is an all weather sport they never look convinced in those early days, once the shooting bug has set in they won’t mind the wet at all.

Had a couple of planning meetings, looking good and managed to shoot some arrows of my own! Imagine that!! Still struggling to get passed the 58% of my desired arrow volume though Dunster week will help there 😂 getting excited now, only a few weeks left and we booked our accommodation over a year ago! I make no apologies for how often I am going to mention it in the coming weeks 😂😂

Chilled over some fletching this morning – always good to clear the head and blast some music!

Good luck to my friends shooting the masters at Lilleshall and those shooting the 2nd Caswell. Let me know how you get on 😊

For those resting, or do something different this weekend – enjoy it😎

Catch you Tuesday folks

How do you set your goals, do you review them? Who do you let influence you?

Helen Sharpe Blog with a message, Health, Quick catch up

In life we set ourselves goals, aims, outcomes – whatever you choose to name them. Sport is another place we often set ourselves targets.

From deciding I was going to pick up a bow and booked my beginners course I had a goal, this has continued in the 5 years that I have been shooting. I usually have several at any time and they will all lead towards a main goal. That one big thing that everything else feeds into. I review my goals regularly around a number of things, kit, health, time and of course I shoot two different styles of archery so there are times I juggle those against each other.

How do you choose what is a reasonable goal, realistic, stretching.

Who do you allow to influence you? Coach, shooting friends, squad members, shooting buddies?

What if you want to focus on something different to those people, do you stand your ground?

I recall a conversation with a coach where I was told my goal wasn’t enough, that they could push me to achieve a different goal because they believed in their ability as a coach rather than actually taking the time to understand what my goal meant. No real surprise then when I achieved something that I had worked from the beginning towards, taking 3 and a half years to achieve and that person didn’t even acknowledge what I had achieved as exactly that, an achievement! Bemusing really.

So I guess my question/request is, what do you want, is what you are working towards what you want or what someone else wants from you? I ask because it’s important, and the impact can have a massive impact on your mental and/or emotional wellbeing. So it’s definitely worth thinking about it and just checking on what you want.

Have a great weekend and see you soon ❤️🏹