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Archery club targets record growth

A Warwickshire archery club is on target for a record year after a surge of interest in the sport post-Olympics.

Membership has grown so quickly at Meriden Archery club that it has moved to secure the expertise of chartered accountants Harrison Beale and Owen (HB&O) to assist with the increased financial workload.

The club has been running for over 80 years and recently saw an increase of around 10 per cent in membership figures. The club now caters for almost 200 members aged from eight to 80-years-old and is still clearing a backlog of applications after it was swamped with interest for its beginners’ courses.

Philippa Lowe, from Meriden Archery Club, said: “We always get a surge in interest after any Olympics, but the coverage of London 2012 was more comprehensive than ever before and I think that has been reflected by the number of enquiries we have received.

“We have a wide-range of abilities at the club from beginners to county-standard archers and Great Britain squad members.

“The increase meant the accounts side of the club had become more difficult to manage so we approached HB&O to help us finalise the year end figures.”

HB&O, which has offices in Leamington and Coventry, was delighted to add the club to the large number of sports organisations in the region it currently supports including Nuneaton Town FC and several local rugby clubs.

Phil Ewing, director at HB&O, said: “Meriden Archery Club has seen a large surge of interest and we are pleased to have been asked to assist them with their accounts.

“We hope that, by providing our support, we are able to allow the team at Meriden to concentrate on running the club.

“It is fantastic to see a well-established organisation like Meriden Archery Club thriving and we look forward to working closely with them in the future.”

For more information on Meriden Archery Club, including ‘have a go’ and group sessions, visit www.meriden-archery.org.uk.

Picture caption (l/r): Phil Ewing, from HB&O; with Philippa Lowe, Jamie Warner and Hannah Foy, from Meriden Archery Club.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Gilbert .