Desk Drivers

[cliveanne]

Some desk driving suit at the County Council has decided that archery is dangerous. So my day at Elvaston Castle (No Smoking day event) has been cancelled. The fact that my local Council pay me to teach, & run various archery related events does not come into it.

I went to see the site & to meet Linda (Organiser team) for safety reasons...no problem, there's massive grounds, & we would have been tucked away in a corner, with easy access to the area we would have been working. GNAS "Have-a-Go" rules with extras...control marshals.

Linda spoke to me yesterday telling me of the cancellation. She told this suit about the safety standards I have imposed before even setting up a shooting range. Seems he dithered a bit then thought "NO... TOO DANGEROUS" without even seeing the site.
I wander...does he go home to Mummy, have his tea & go to bed for his bed-time story, all nice & safe?

[Trunkles]

What other events are there :
Swings for the kids - might walk into one and get a cracked skull
Climbing on a fire engine - might fall
.....

Nanny state again - especially when archery is safer than the above.

[geoffretired]

Getting to school is more than a little risky these days! I'm not saying schools should be banned you understand; but perhaps the kids could sleep there and save all the hassle in the mornings!

[Watch_Man]

Originally Posted by cliveanne

Some desk driving suit at the County Council has decided that archery is dangerous. So my day at Elvaston Castle (No Smoking day event) has been cancelled. The fact that my local Council pay me to teach, & run various archery related events does not come into it.

I went to see the site & to meet Linda (Organiser team) for safety reasons...no problem, there's massive grounds, & we would have been tucked away in a corner, with easy access to the area we would have been working. GNAS "Have-a-Go" rules with extras...control marshals.

Linda spoke to me yesterday telling me of the cancellation. She told this suit about the safety standards I have imposed before even setting up a shooting range. Seems he dithered a bit then thought "NO... TOO DANGEROUS" without even seeing the site.
I wander...does he go home to Mummy, have his tea & go to bed for his bed-time story, all nice & safe?

Could I suggest you contact your local MP and ask him to speak to the County Council Chief Exec on your behalf, especially emphasise the fact that it is an olympic sport that 30,000 or more archers participate in. Alternatively, do you have a sympathetic local County Councillor? members and officers often don't see eye to eye and you may be able to get a member on your side. Failing that you could always contact your local paper and use the olympics, encouraging children to do sport etc etc...

[Ceri Jones]

Originally Posted by cliveanne

Some desk driving suit at the County Council has decided that archery is dangerous.

Hmm this argument sounds familiar after our issues with the university occupational health officer taking our outside range off us.

[Watch_Man]

Originally Posted by Ceri Jones

Hmm this argument sounds familiar after our issues with the university occupational health officer taking our outside range off us.

Its unfortunate that this is happening as the Health and Safety consultant who did our clubs report said there is absolutely nothing in health and Safety regulations that discriminates against archery. He reckons its always local 'jobsworths' who assume they know they law without actually checking with a pro H&S expert.

[Furface]

To be fair, I think this is a part of our litigious culture. H&S officers should be working and advising to ensure that events go ahead safely, but, instead, they are terrified of being sued if something goes wrong. And, dare I say it, this is somewhere where GNAS could be active, really pushing our sport's safety record, and producing proper guides for local authorities.

[Robin the Hood]

Send the safety people down the field to watch the arrow, and see how safe it is.........Oh dear!......... .....Never mind, problem solved...........

Paul.....

[englishwarbow]

Inch by inch watch your way of life disappear! The idea that this has anything to do with possible litigation is not backed up by facts. Archery is one of, if not the safest sports any serious risk assesment would acknowledge that. Either the decision is down to incompetence or they know exactly what they are doing, turning the screw on your way of life. In a few years from now they'll be doing to the archery community what they are doing to the sword community. It's not a nanny state it's an oppresive state

[cliveanne]

I have told Linda that I am running a "Have-a-Go" session at the new YHA, Moira on their opening day in a couple of weeks time. I have promised her some pictures of the set-up so she can show the jobsworth how safe we are. I will also remind her to have words to him about the Olympics & how these archers started by perhaps shooting the first arrow at a "Have-a-Go".

Q) Where do our divers go to practice? I've not seen a diving board at any local baths for years now