Club History
Keswick Archers was first set up by friends Robert, Jeff, Derek and Jan back in 2011 with a few bows, arrows and targets in the back of Robert’s car, as they had nowhere to store them. Nestled at the far end of Keswick Rugby Club (where they continue to shoot to this day), the club developed and grew, teaching many people from around Cumbria to shoot arrows.
We were lucky to work with Calvert Trust who allowed us to shoot during Autumn and Winter in their barn enabling the club to shoot all year round. This continued until Calvert Trust converted the barn into their Rehabilitation Centre in 2019 and we relocated our indoor venue to Keswick’s old Pencil Factory. I am pleased to say that we maintain our link with Calvert Trust.
The club has survived floods, storms, general Cumbrian weather and a global pandemic. Whilst the number of our members, medals and trophies have grown, our ethos remains the same. This is to welcome any and archers and anyone interested in archery to come and shoot for fun, or compete and win trophies.
Have-a-go sessions and Beginner Courses.
Interested in giving archery a shot (pun clearly intended!)? We offer a 2 hour have-a-go session for £10 with our experienced, qualified and very friendly coaches where we provide all the equipment and help. This can be done at any of our weekday sessions though please contact us beforehand so we can make sure one of our coaches are available.
Should you want to then take it further, we also do a full Beginners Course: 6 hours for £30. We will go through everything you need to know in order to shoot a bow and set you on your archery journey. If you have done the Have-a-Go session we will take that off the course (leaving 4 hours for a remaining £20).
Facilities
Keswick Archers have a range of facilities including:
- Excellent Indoor (Autumn – Winter) & Outdoor (Spring – Summer) ranges.
- Three qualified GNAS Coaches.
- Basic Training Courses and initial use of club equipment.
- Use of Keswick Rugby Club Bar & Facilities when open.
- Free car parking during shoots for members.
Committee Members
PRESIDENT
Mr. Robert Edmondson
Tel: 017687 77649
E-mail address: president@keswickarchers.co.uk
“Robert is a self-employed local builder and stone mason with a wide knowledge of the industry. Robert is a GNAS qualified archer, is exceptional at repairing all our equipment and dedicates a lot of his spare time on the club and archery. His daughter and grand-daughter are both members of the archery club.”
SECRETARY
Mr. Derek Hinchcliffe
Tel: 017687 76653
E-mail address: treasurer@keswickarchers.co.uk
“Derek works in the towns Bookends or Oxfam shops. When it comes to sports, he is torn between archery, bowls and the gun club. Derek favours the compound bow for archery and looks after any teaching on this type.”
SECRETARY
Mrs. June Houghton
Tel: 017687 80340
E-mail address: secretary@keswickarchers.co.uk
“June is the proprietor of NEEDLES & PINS located in lower Main Street Keswick. June started archery in June 2011 and is a perfect example of what can be done with practice. June has represented the county since 2014”
