"The Big Weekend was a great success for us...It also reflects
the hard work done around the country by the development team based
at Lilleshall"
David Reader
Nearly 50 MPs took part
in Archery GB’s second parliamentary tournament on Speaker’s Green
with international archers on hand to give some coaching and
expert tips.
The Conservative MP for Montgomeryshire Glyn Davies took first
place, with Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith securing
second and Ian Liddell-Grainger MP coming in third.
The event was hosted Huw Irranca-Davies MP, who
has been the Sport England’s Parliamentary Fellow for archery in
the countdown to and during the Olympic and Paralympic
tournaments.
He said: "With archery at Lords and the
Royal Artillery Barracks proving so popular during the Olympics and
Paralympics, lots of my Parliamentary colleagues were very keen to
have a go at shooting arrows. It is great to see this year’s event
on Speaker’s Green as popular as the inaugural one last year.”
Archery now has over 34,000 members throughout the United Kingdom
and thanks to London 2012 interest in archery is growing as never
before, with beginner’s courses fully booked all over the country.
Only recently, Archery GB’s ‘Big Weekend’ proved a success
throughout the country, with thousands of people taking up the
opportunity to have a free try out at the sport and many of them
then signing up for on beginner’s courses.
“The Big Weekend was a great success for us and
it reflects the increasing profile of the sport,” said Archery GB’s
Development Manager David Reader. “It also reflects the hard work
done around the country by the development team based at Lilleshall
and a team of fantastic volunteers who support us in promoting the
sport and help us with the development of clubs.
“Archery is popular because people are finding
out that it is the ultimate sport for all: it is the sport where
people of any age and ability can compete equally. It doesn’t
matter whether you’re disabled or non-disabled, you can take part
in archery. For some, there is the chance to rise through the ranks
and compete at the very highest level while others just enjoy being
part of a club, shooting arrows for fun and having a great time -
Archery GB embraces all of them.
Find out more
about archery with Archery GB.
The Parliamentary Sports Fellowship
Scheme
Set up in 2005 by Sport England, the
Parliamentary Sports Fellowship Scheme has been working with
parliamentarians and sporting organisations to bring sport and
politics closer together.The scheme partners a parliamentarian with
a sporting organisation for a minimum of seven days over an
18-month period, enabling them to understand how sport inspires
people, strengthens communities and builds national pride.
Parliamentary Fellows experience how a sport is run from top to
bottom; from the development and performance side; to how sport is
delivered locally to an Olympic and Paralympic level. Currently
there 30 parliamentarians on the scheme.