News Letter.

Following a very noticeable drop in attendance over the winter months due to the cold at the Tain Range, a meeting was arranged to address the problem. The common consensus of opinion was the range was just too cold, especially for the juniors. Various suggestions were put forward, such as the purchase of extra heaters but none were practical and it looked like we would have had to cancel the winter sessions and just shoot in the summer. Sheila then approached T.R.A.C.C. in Tain where she ran the summer coaching sessions and managed to negotiate a deal for the hall. The hall is a great facility, with toilets, a canteen if required and central heating. The only problem was we needed to book ahead to ensure we had the facility every Wednesday which required “hard cash up front”.

To this end we have had to review the membership fees. Taking our current list of members it seemed £40 for adults and £20 for juniors would be required. This would still make us one of the cheapest clubs in the country and although it is quite a jump from the current £10, it would ensure we could book the hall for the winter and spring sessions. The committee then decided that for the current year we would make it £20 for adults instead of £40, as if the current list re-join and we manage to recruit a few new members we should still manage to cover it. Obviously if the fees for the hall increase we will have to increase the adult membership accordingly, and it will be reviewed on a yearly basis.

In the meantime those of us who have already paid the gun club membership fees can still use the premises as there are still targets and safety nets there, but you will have to use your own equipment as the club bows are now down at T.R.A.C.C.

Following guidance from Disclosure Scotland a revised Membership application form has been devised with a confidential section. The form is coupled with a photo consent form and you are asked to complete both and return them to Sheila as soon as possible. Membership fees will be due on the 27th of February each year and to keep us afloat I would urge all members to pay promptly.

The other matter discussed at the meeting was the price of the sessions, which due to the cost of arrows, fletchings and nocks will have to increase by a pound to £4 per session. To put the increase in perspective we usually manage to strip at least two arrows and bend one per session. Mel takes these home and repairs them in his own time using his own jigs and arrow straighteners. It is only fair that we pay for the materials out of the club funds. It also explains why you will see Mel wince every time a fletching comes winging off or an arrow bounces off the wood/wall/floor or that funny round thing at the end of the range. If you really want to watch him cry, break one of the wooden arrows as these are a real pain to repair and usually end up getting binned and we have to buy new ones. The extra £1 will also boost funds for the purchase of new equipment and the cost of the hall.

Right, so far all we’ve done is depress you with price increases, now the good news, Wednesday 27th Feb. '08, was our first night at T.R.A.C.C. There was a good turnout with 8 adults and 12 juniors. The hall is great, we had three targets at 25 yards and two at 10 yards. It took us a little longer than usual to set up but now that we know the layout we will be a bit quicker next week.

The hall is warm and well lit making it a pleasure to shoot in. The down side is there is no longer the excuses of: I missed because I can’t feel my fingers, or the string keeps catching on my heavy, padded jacket, or I can’t move more than six inches away from this heater. A new list of excuses will be prepared for your perusal. There is also the added advantage of indoor plumbing!!

Congratulations to several of the junior members who progressed from the ten yard targets to the full range and by the end of the evening most of the cubs on the 10 “yarders” were recording some good scores.

The adults also had a good night, with some creditable scores and most are now keeping cards to chart their progress. We now have a good cross section of bows to choose from, with recurve, compound, flat and longbows available. Mel has made some more left handed finger tabs and the club have purchased four gloves, two adult and two junior so please try them to see which you prefer. As always it is best to try all the club equipment to see what suits you before you start buying your own gear.

Another advantage of the new hall is we will once again be able to welcome new members so if you know anyone wishing to try their hand please ask them along.

So its Wednesday nights, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m, T.R.A.C.C. is in Tain beside the Royal Academy, if you are coming in off the A9, take the junction sign posted for the police station. At the next "T" junction if you go:- left, take the next right which is sign posted for the school. The school is on your right hand side. If you go into this car park follow the footpath round the school to the other car park and then round to your left where you will see the main entrance. If you go right, take the next junction to your left and follow the signs for the school, this will take you into the car park outside the main entrance.