The object of Bristol Bowmen and Golden Phoenix Archers is to actively promote and encourage the sport of archery.

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Bristol Bowmen and Golden Phoenix Archers are committed to a world which respects and celebrates diversity. Acceptance of difference, leading to equality of opportunity, is an integral part of our thinking.

Central to this we believe that everyone should be treated in an honest, fair and transparent manner in which their individuality (sex, gender, age, ethnic status, sexuality, nationality, ability/disability, race, cultural heritage and choice of bow type) should be celebrated and not used as a possible means of discrimination.

In the spirit of this, we seek to treat all individuals as autonomous and self-defining and will help and encourage everyone to reach their full potential within the club and the sport of archery as a whole.

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Animals

This section has been written based on advice from the police, RSPCA, Defra, RSPB and Raptor Rescue.

In the event of any injury/death of an animal a committee member, preferably the club nurse or secretary, must be informed within 24 hours of incident, by email, with a written report so that the committee can be informed that a serious incident has occurred. If you wish you may use the incident and dangerous occurrence form for your report.

Companion animals

If the animal injured/killed has an owner with it, talk to the owner directly. Do not under any circumstances say we will pay for treatment/replacement. Dogs are prohibited from being on the ground so although we have insurance cover, the insurers may not be willing to pay.

Wild animals – injured

Never remove an arrow that is in the body of an animal or bird, you could kill it.

If the arrow is through the wing of a bird, it is better to remove the arrow as this will allow the bird to place it's wing in a more comfortable position once free.

If we have pinned a bird to a target with an arrow:

• Immobalise the bird's legs. To do this place your index finger through the birds legs and your middle finger and thumb around the outside of the legs and grip quite tightly. Although it may seem more logical to place your hands under it's feet, if the bird has claws, especially a bird of prey, it will cause you a nasty injury if you try this.
• Lift up the hand that you have immobalised the legs with. This will support the weight of the bird.
• Cover the bird's head and eyes. This will both calm the bird and prevent it from pecking you.
• Only when you have done all the above should you pull the arrow out of the target.

All animals:

• Gently place the animal in a secure container, a box is fine.
• Make sure that it is covered and in the dark to reduce stress.

Contact the RSPCA.

• If it is possible to transport the animal to the clinic, (48 Albert Road, St Philips, Bristol), telephone in advance to say that you are on the way. They take emergency admissions 24 hours a day. Their number is 0117 972 4567.
• If we cannot transport the animal to the clinic, call the national emergency number on 0300 123 4999. They can arrange transport.

Wild animals – killed

Bow hunting is illegal in this country, however accidentally killing an animal does not need to be reported.

1. Avoid touching the animal with your bare hands.
2. If possible, wear disposable protective gloves when picking up and handling (if disposable gloves are not available see 7).
3. Place the dead animal in a suitable plastic bag, preferably leak proof. Care should be taken not to contaminate the outside of the bag.
4. Tie the bag and place it in a second plastic bag.
5. Remove gloves by turning them inside out and then place them in the second plastic bag. Tie the bag and dispose of in the normal household refuse bin, or in the bins at the rugby ground (we have permission to do this).
6. Hands should then be washed thoroughly with soap and water.
7. If disposable gloves are not available, a plastic bag can be used as a make-shift glove. When the dead animal has been picked up, the bag can be turned back on itself and tied. It should then be placed in a second plastic bag, tied and disposed of in the normal household waste, or in the bins at the rugby ground.
8. Any clothing that has been in contact with the dead animal should be washed using ordinary washing detergent at the temperature normally used for washing the clothing.
9. Any contaminated indoor surfaces should be thoroughly cleaned with normal household cleaner.

Alternatively the dead animal can be:

• Buried, but not in a plastic bag.
• Moved to the hedgerow and left to form part of the food chain. Several of the wild life organisations would prefer that we did this.

Note on ducks – We are in one of the survey areas for Avian Influenza H5N1. Therefore if we kill a duck, please contact the Defra Helpline on 08459 335577, 8.00am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday as they may be interested in testing the body.

People

All accidents, however minor must be recorded on an accident report form (see also 'Archer's kisses' below). These are kept in the blue folder on the top shelf of the metal cabinet and will be checked once a month. The white copies of the sheets will be collected and stored securely so that incidents can be audited. Yellow copies are to be taken by the person injured, or if a junior under the age of 16, by the parent/carer of the person injured, for hospital, clinic or Walk in Centre information or kept by the casualty for future reference.

In the event of anyone needing hospital treatment a committee member, preferably the club nurse or secretary, must be informed within 24 hours of incident, by email, with a written report so that the committee can be informed that a serious incident has occurred. If you wish you may use the incident and dangerous occurrence form for your report.

If any first aid equipment is used, a committee member, preferably the club nurse, needs to be informed as soon as possible as to what was used so that it can be replaced.

Archer's kisses

An archer's kiss is where the string hits the bow arm when you release the string. These must also have an accident report form completed when:

• The archer is a junior.
• The archer has taken a drug that has blood thinning properties within the previous 24 hours, for example asprin, heprin, warfrin; or anti inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen.
• The skin is broken or grazed.
• There is bruising greater than the size of the archer's palm.
• There is any hard lump under the skin, even if it is not raised.

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We have a duty of care to the other users of the ground to look for all arrows and people must be prepared to stay and search if they lose one. Please also see the Local rules section of this page.

After searching, if you still cannot find one of your arrows, you must:

• Enter the details in the lost arrow folder in the metal cabinet.
• Notify a committee member, preferably the secretary or treasurer, on the day that you lose it.

The committee then has to notify the rugby club that the arrow is missing.

Failure to notify the rugby club invalidates the insurance. If the archer losing the arrow has notified committee and committee have not passed on the information, responsibility for any financial claim lies with the club. However if the archer losing the arrow has failed to notify committee, the archer is personally responsible for any financial liability.

Once the arrow is found:

• Add the date to the details in the lost arrow folder.
• Notify a committee member, preferably the secretary or treasurer, as soon as possible.

The committee then has to notify the rugby club that the arrow has been found.

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Bristol Bowmen and Golden Phoenix Archers believe that, when dealing with children and vulnerable adults, their welfare should always be of paramount importance. We are committed to providing an environment where young people and vulnerable adults can learn and participate in the sport of archery, free from harassment and abuse. We have therefore adopted the GNAS protection of children and vulnerable adults policy.

Note on children – in addition to the above policy, we require that children below the age of 16 be accompanied by a parent/carer at all times while in the club.

Note on vulnerable adults – the vulnerable adults section of the policy is currently being rewritten. Until then we have been told to apply the section on young people to all vulnerable adults. As such we believe several of the the policy requirements to be in breach of the Equality Act 2010, Chapter 2 Prohibited conduct:

15 Discrimination arising from disability

(1) A person (A) discriminates against a disabled person (B) if –

(a) A treats B unfavourably because of something arising in consequence of B's disability, and
(b) A cannot show that the treatment is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.

We have therefore been given permission to not enforced the vulnerable adults section of the policy within the club and to use 'common sense' instead. However, should any vulnerable adult wish to invoke their right not to shoot unless two additional adults are present, we will wholeheartedly support their decision without any attempt to persuade, cajole, or otherwise influence them, into changing their mind.

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If shooting is arranged outside of the specific sessions listed in the club days page of the club information section, the key holder notifies everyone, or organises the person they are shooting with to notify everyone, via email, of the time and date that they are shooting.

We appreciate that sometimes the decision is such short notice that there isn't time to do much about it. All that we would ask in those circumstances is that those shooting try and email round to everyone, but sometimes it won't be possible, or even if an email was circulated, other members may not have time to get there.

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Although the clubs shoot together on equal terms we have separate, but matching, constitutions.

• Bristol Bowmen Constitution (PDF: 78.8 KB).
• Golden Phoenix Archers Constitution (PDF: 72.5 KB).

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You should complete an incident report form if you see anything that is disruptive, dangerous, or not in the spirit of the sport of archery. It is preferable that you do this within 24 hours of the incident.

The completed form must then be given to a committee member, preferably the club nurse or secretary, either in person or via email so that the committee can be informed that a serious incident has occurred. It is then the responsibility of whichever committee member receives the form to notify the rest of the committee. However, if the incident involves a committee member and/or their child, that committee member will not be informed at this point.

If appropriate, the committee will request a risk assessment to be undertaken to prevent a repeat of the incident.

• Incident report form (Word: 52.0 KB).

Types of incidents that should be reported

This list is not exhaustive and is only meant as guidance.

• Abuse.
• Discrimination.
• Damage to club property.
• Damage to personal property.
• Dangerous occurrence, eg, messing around on the range/shooting line.
• Shooting in dangerous weather conditions.
• Target frames becoming unstable/very damaged.
• Theft.
• Violence/threatening behaviour.

If applicable, call the police immediately.

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In addition to the GNAS rules of shooting contained in the green handbook we have adopted a series of local rules (PDF: 37.6 KB).

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Reduced year

We will grant reduced years membership’s in the following circumstances:

1. You pay the full outgoing fees and
2. You make your request for the reduced year prior to paying your membership fee and
3. The reason for the request is that you will be moving out of the area/going abroad and no longer be able to attend our club(s), ie simply wanting to move to another local club at some point is not reason enough and
4. If you do not move out of the area/go abroad as planed, or return to the area and wish to shoot with us at any point between the date given and the membership renewal date (currently 1 October), you will pay the remainder of the club fees.

Please note: If you do move as planned and join another club in that area, but wish to shoot with us when visiting this area, you will be eligible to pay guest shooting fees rather than the remainder of the club fees. We will need to see proof that you have joined another club when you come and shoot with us.

Refunds

New members only: We have adopted a 14 day cooling-off period to allow people to change their mind, however, if you shoot within this time, the outgoing fees will still have to be sent to County (insurance cover) and therefore will not be refundable. Please note: this option is not available to members renewing as of 1 October each year, nor to members returning to the club after a break in membership.

Under no circumstances will we refund any fees after 14 days.

Monthly and general associate membership

You are eligible for these categories of associate membership if:

1. You hold full GNAS or FITA membership through another club or are a direct member, and
2. (For monthly associate membership) you are only temporarily living, working, vacationing or studying in this area or are a student home for the holidays.

You are not eligible for these categories of associate membership if you normally live or work in any or the following areas:

• Bath and North East Somerset.
• Bristol.
• North Somerset.
• South Gloucestershire.

For full details cost and how the scheme works, please see the Associate membership section of our fees page.

Please note, because it is possible to buy monthly associate membership month-by-month, rather than having to buy a block of months up-front, we will not refund fees for 'unused months' under any circumstances.

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Any person wishing to take photographs, make videos and/or film while at the club must complete two copies of the photographer's registration form. One copy will be kept by the club; the other will be returned to the photographer.

This includes parents/carers wishing to take pictures of their own children.

• Photographer's registration form for completing electronically (Word: 129.0 KB).
• Photographer's registration form for completing by hand (Word: 130.0 KB).

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Completed risk assessments

This section will grow as more risk assessments are done. Where appropriate they will also appear in relevant sections of this page.

• Indoor venue (PDF: 76.9 KB).
• Outdoor venue (PDF: 79.1 KB).

Risk assessment documentation

• Risk assessment policy (Word: 89.0 KB).
• General risk assessment form (Word: 41.0 KB).
• Detailed/major risk assessment form (Word: 34.0 KB).

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© Bristol Bowmen and Golden Phoenix Archers