Always on
This project successfully funded on 19th June 2025, you can still support them with a donation.
ACE - Archery, Community, Engagement.
Uckfield, East Sussex, United Kingdom
Aim
We aim to encourage greater participation in archery and to play a greater part in the social, cultural and economic life of the community,
Who we are
We are a dedicated team of 12 volunteers who manage and run the Club on a day to-day basis. The Club has been around for more than 50 years and between us we have many years' experience of running charities and voluntary groups, and many years' experience of archery in its many forms.
Our members
"I just love this Club" DN, member since 2017
The Club now has around 100 members, ranging in age from 13 to 80. Older archers in particular tell us how much archery contributes to their health and the level of social contact they have. Younger archers love the fun and the challenge, while pretty much all the members enjoy being out in the fresh air in the Sussex countryside. 
We know from independent research, from our own experience as archers, and from other people's feedback that taking part in archery has a load of benefits, particularly around physical and mental health, and social engagement, for people of all ages.
We aim to share those benefits with the wider community and plan to do so by growing and developing our Club so that any member of the community who wishes to do so can take part. We know that there are barriers to participation for different groups of individuals in the community and we want to help take those barriers down by creating accessible opportunities for older people, for young girls and for voluntary unpaid carers to take part as well as for the wider community at large.
"I started shooting in 2019, aged 60. At 66, I now feel fitter, healthier, stronger, less stressed and more focused than I had felt for years" NJ, member since 2019
That means that we need to build our capacity so that we can respond effectively to the surge in interest that has taken place since the Covid lockdowns.
It means that we need to train more coaches, more first aiders and more competition judges. It means we need to get more equipment - bows, arrows, targets - and improve our facilities. And this is where you can help.
Why we are crowdfunding
There are 2 reasons behind us deciding to launch a crowdfunding campaign. Firstly, although archery is one of the fastest-growing sports in the UK - there are currently some 45,000 registered archers - it is still very much a minority sport when compared with other activities such as football, rugby, cricket and tennis.
"Everything about longbow is just fun!" LI, longstanding member
These sports attract huge investment year on year from government and business. In many ways they are huge businesses in their own right but their dominance means that it is very difficult for minority sports to attract essential funding from local authorities, Sport England and other grantmakers. They obviously have their reasons for that but it doesn't change the fact that we are doing work that adds value to the wider community and which benefits local people, but we are limited in what we can achieve as we struggle to access the funds we need.
Secondly, as a smaller community group that cannot rely on grant funding, we urgently need to reach out to people to develop our network of supporters and potential members. The most efficient and cost-effective way we can do this is online, in the first instance by asking our members and their families to share this appeal with their friends and wider networks of contacts.
How you can help
You can help by donating in support of this campaign. Your help can make a real difference. We need around £19,000 this year to operate and develop the Club. The bulk of that will come from membership subscriptions but we aim to raise at least £7,500 from Crowdfunder and possibly other sources.
Only you
Only you know what it is right for you to give but please do give as generously as you can. Whatever you give will be a great help, and if you could consider making a regular donation by direct debit that would help even more!
What difference will your donation make?
At the most basic level, you will be helping more people to simply have fun. But in doing that you will be making a vital difference in improving their health, wellbeing and quality of life. There are huge potential benefits and longer-term results from helping with this. Your support will enable more people to take part and will contribute to a wide range of benefits and outcomes for individuals and for the community as a whole. These benefits and outcomes are the difference you will make.
The benefits include:
- A more active and healthier community due to improved physical and mental health.
- A more engaged and cohesive community as a result of increased social contact and a shared interest.
- A reduction in societal costs associated with physical and mental health issues.
Possible outcomes:
- Increased participation in other community activities;
- Higher rates of individuals engaging in regular physical activity;
- Improved scores on mental health and well-being assessments;
- Reduced instances of reported stress or anxiety within the community.
- Higher levels of participation in volunteer activities.
- Formation of new community groups and clubs.
- Improved feelings of belonging and social connection among residents.
- Increased reported levels of trust between community members.
- Increased numbers of community members that are engaged in shared community projects.
- Reduced demand for GP services for preventable physical health conditions.
- Reduced use of emergency mental health services.
- Lower rates of absenteeism from work or school due to health problems.
- Decreased reliance on long-term social welfare programmes.
- Increased numbers of individuals who are maintaining healthy lifestyles, thus potentially reducing future health complications.
What will we spend the money on?
We need to build our capacity so that we can welcome more people.
To take up archery you have to pass an accredited Beginners' Course first. We lend beginners all the equipment they need and, if they join the Club upon passing the course, we extend the equipment loan until the start of the following Beginners' Course (or for a longer period at the Trustees' discretion, in cases of hardship, and by whose authority fees can also be reduced or waived). This means that we need a supply of equipment sufficient for at least as many people are on a course. We run 3 Beginners' Courses a year, but to run more we need additional equipment and coaches. We also have to have an adequate number of trained first-aiders.
We put on an annual Community Open Day and plan to reintroduce a programme of Taster Days to stimulate interest and growth, together with building contacts with local schools, community groups and businesses.
We have potential to accommodate more people at our target ranges at Barnsgate Manor Vineyards and we are also looking to expand our Field Archery operations at our Fletching site. "Field Archery" is really "archery in woodlands". We have 2 sites for this, one open from September to March and the other open all year round. The latter has great potential for growth of archery and we are looking to develop a course there to World Archery standard which could potentially bring business to the area.
Over the next 12 months
- Rent £4,000.00
- Insurance £750.00
- Promotional work £1,000
- Community events £3,000
- Coach development £1,500
- First aider training and equipment £1,200
- Loan equipment - training bows, arrows, archery kit and targets for beginners, open days and taster sessions £2,200
- Target range equipment - foam target bosses £2,000
- Field archery equipment - foam target bosses and foam animal targets; 6m x 3m gazebo £3,500
TOTAL REQUIRED: £19,150
Looking ahead
With ongoing maintenance, new equipment will last for several years, but we will have ongoing premises and volunteer development costs (coaches, first aiders, judges) of around £7,500 per annum which is why we are keen to receive regular monthly donations by direct debit.
"This is just the best fun. Thanks so much" Beginners' Course participant and new member, aged 13, September 2024
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made