5 Apr 2025
Throughout the month of March, Robert our Communities & Workforce Development Officer has been providing training opportunities for staff at Kelburn Park School (Glasgow), Broughton High School (Edinburgh) and with Who Cares Scotland an organisation who support care experienced people.
Check our Robert's full report below:
Earlier in the month, Robert successfully trained five dedicated teachers from Kelbourne Park Primary School in soft archery. These passionate teachers are now delivering sport into their work with children who have additional support needs. By collaborating closely with a range of School Staff, we feel more confident and better equipped to address the holistic needs of our pupils. Soft archery has proven to be a fantastic tool in engaging young people, encouraging their participation in sport while also supporting their overall development.
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Robert recently introduced soft archery to teachers, coaches, and club members at Broughton High School. For many, this was their first experience with the sport, and the session was a resounding success. Enthusiastic feedback from both teachers and coaches has paved the way for them to integrate soft archery into their schools’ activities and after-school clubs, providing students with a new and exciting opportunity to get involved in sport. It was great to have Iain King from Leith Archers along and Victoria Barby, Archery GB Board Member who has been developing some soft archery activity in her local area.
Who Cares? Scotland
This month, Robert and Euan successfully trained 10 staff members from Who Cares? Scotland.
The staff members work with young people, aged 8-18, who have experience in care. In their role, they inspire these young people by introducing a variety of sports, including soft archery, to local community groups. Additionally, they provide coaching and mentorship, creating opportunities for the young people to apply their new skills, ignite their passion for archery.
Check out some quotes from staff members about the training:
‘‘The two instructors were brill, the session was designed really well, not only teaching us the safety aspects and the practicalities but actually getting the group to devise their own team building games to use with our young people. I also found it really helpful for the instructors to talk us through how to make archery accessible with anyone who may have additional needs and need support using the set. I feel comfortable leading a session with our young people, in-fact, I already have at our Edinburgh group last night. One young person can sometimes struggle in group settings and was struggling last night, so I showed them the archery set and once I had shown them how to do it, they insisted on using it for the remainder of the session, while we chatted and she found it very cathartic. She was also a crack-shot by the end of the session, hitting gold after gold! She told me she wants to just do archery for the entirety of the group in a fortnight.”
’It was fun, engaging and both trainers pitched their approach perfectly for the group’’
‘‘Really enjoyed the archery session.....more than I thought I would actually. Both Robert and Euan were informative and good fun. I'm off to buy an Archery set for the garden. Thanks for sharing your sport with us!’’
‘‘Thought it was great Neil. The guys were really friendly and good at what they do – I thought the session was a good ix of fun & info – enjoyed the games and teamwork – even had the bow and arrow out last night with our Edinburgh group. Great they left us a bow’’
Is your school, charity, local authority or organisation looking for some support or training? Feel free to get in touch with Robert at robert.clark@scottisharchery.org.uk