History in the making!

Long bow arrow in flight

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Rochdale Archers made, and marked, history last weekend.

The sport of Archery struck true in many peoples’ hearts, for on the 12 September people traveled for a commemorative event the likes of which Robin Hood could only have dreamed of.

The Rochdale Company of Archers were formed in 1954, and soon became the Borough’s premiere Archery club, teaching the elegant sport to both the young and the old. Their purpose? To rediscover our roots, and unearth the potential that can be revealed only by the practice of Archery, which combines both physical and mental prowess in an art that borders meditation.

The shoot, organised by the award-winning Rochdale Company of Archers took place at Bowlee Playing Fields, Middleton, on Sunday (11 September) was the start of the build-up to the 500th anniversary in 2013.

The Company, which treasures the commemoration of historical events, flocked from all over the north to take part in a charity tournament being held to raise cash for one of Britain’s oldest war memorials – the Flodden Window in Middleton Parish Church.

The window is dedicated to the Middleton Archers who, in 1513, played a major role in the Battle of Flodden. It followed a Scottish invasion of England and was the last battle on British soil in which longbows played a major role.

The RCA is helping the Flodden 500, a partnership that is developing a programme of events to mark the quincentennery of the Battle, to plan local archery events that commemorate the part played by the contingent of archers from Middleton.

A spokesman for RCA said: “Archery has played a huge role in how Britain developed into the nation it is today. Archery has a tradition as a sport stretching back into the Middle Ages, it remains a vibrant sport today and the prospects for the future are fantastic. The contribution of the Middleton Archers at Flodden is widely known but what is probably less well known is the role that Sir Ashton Lever of Alkrington Hall played in making the sport what it is today. So it is fitting to bring archery back to Middleton to commemorate the Flodden Archers.

“It also gives us the chance to celebrate a big year for Archery GB, the sport’s governing body, which turns 150 this year.”

The tournaments, which involves shooting at a target on the ground instead of the usual target face, have the backing of Manchester Museum’s honorary curator of archery, Wendy Hodkinson, and Dave Harrison, the chairman of Archery GB, the sport’s governing body.

Mr Harrison said: “I think it’s a great idea. What a great way to recognise the importance of the war memorial, the sacrifice of all those who took part in the battle, the history of archery, the history of our archery society and, in the run-up to London 2012, one of the most popular, cutting-edge sports around.”

A recent survey by AXA showed that archery was the Olympic sport most young people wanted to participate in.

The RCA have a thriving Junior club which meets regularly on Friday evening from 7.30pm to approximately 9.30pm when they have various activities including coaching, competitions and fun shoots, to find out more visit their web site: 

www.rochdalecompanyofarchers.com/juniorclub.htm