by Rebecca Hannant
The Burton Constable Company of Bowmen has celebrated its 60th anniversary with a special event at Burton Constable Hall.
The archery group was formed in 1964 when Hermes Archers of Hull lost their shooting ground and joined with John Constable, his wife Gay, and their friends to form a new club.
It has an impressive history with members having gained first, second and third placings in several archery disciplines in regional, national and even international competitions.
Spokesman Paul Benson said the club had been instrumental in boosting the popularity
of the sport, and explained that it concentrated on traditional archery.
He said: “There is something called flight which is the longest distance you can possibly shoot a bow. It was heavily followed here.
“There’s an Olympic-style bow called a recurve where you literally attach every possible thing such as balancing rods and sights to improve how accurate it is.
“Then there is the traditional longbow. This is the bow that they used in medieval times, which has been dramatically improved over the years to the laminated bow. This club has a big history in terms of this traditional longbow, and most of the members shoot that.”
On Sunday, July 7, the archery group celebrated its anniversary with an event at Burton Constable Hall. The morning included a junior competition with prizes sponsored by Blackridge Archery of Driffield. A hog roast was provided by Hot Trotters during lunchtime, with musical entertainment by Albert Stott.
During the afternoon, members and guests were invited to take part in a fun shoot at various unusual novel targets including balloons and photographs of teddy bears. A presentation also took place by Burton Constable Hall owner Rodrica Straker, daughter of the late John and Gay Chichester-Constable, and Chris Moor, whose husband was an ex-member of the club.
The present club has more than 120 members of all ages and has a full annual calendar of events throughout the year including competitions and multiple have-a-go sessions.
Every year it runs three consecutive beginners’ courses from early May to mid-August for people wishing to learn how to safely shoot a bow. A certificate of completion is issued at the end of the course enabling a person to shoot safely at any archery club in the UK, although it is always hoped that people participating will join the club at Burton Constable.
The club has several coaches, with two members having qualified recently and one going through their training.
Paul added: “Members of the club do count themselves very fortunate to be able to shoot
in the beautiful grounds surrounding Burton Constable and regularly take it upon themselves to greet visitors to the house and grounds and answer any questions they may have about archery.”
Anyone interested in joining the club can visit bccbarchery.co.uk.
