Newsletter - National Field Archery Society

GREETINGS fellow bowbenders and target tormenters from the King’s Lynn Field Archers (KLFA).
Our little club, in the wilds of Norfolk, started life a year ago with half a dozen tatty 3D targets, and the same number
of tatty archers. Our cash in the bank (Keith Moran’s back pocket) totalled £8 and our immediate estimated expenditure
was £8.01p, which brings Charles Dickens’ Mr Micawber to mind.
To date KLFA have managed to successfully raise £6,705 from the following sources:
n Norfolk Community Fund - £500 (grants@norfolkfoundation.com)
Most county councils in the UK have a community fund for start up projects, especially if they offer a service to the community.
In our case this was free archery tuition and use of equipment.
n Kings Lynn Borough Council Sports Development Grant - £90
This grant was offered as a refund of NFAS Coaching fees. Most borough councils have a Sports Development Officer on
the staff. He directed me to additional grants within the borough.
n Borough Council - £350
As a start up and development grant primarily used for infrastructure of the club, ie storage facilities.
n Cash4Clubs - £600 (www.cash-4-clubs.com)
My contact (Jade at Jade.obrien@betfair.com) was the very helpful. This organisation was by far the easiest in terms of
submission documentation and it is run by the Betfair gambling organisation in order to put something back into the sporting
community.
n Sport England (National Lottery) - £5165
At last some pay back for all of the cash I have squandered on those unlucky Lucky Dips and Euromillions tickets.
Regrettably I am prevented from using the cash on a new motorbike!
This was by far the most exasperating and tortuous way to raise cash, but on reflection most of the stress was selfinflicted
by not fully reading the instructions.
I confess to having a small brain, mainly running on wooden cogs and caffeine. However, the article in the September/
October NFAS newsletter provides excellent advice for the club money man and secretary, but our Sport England application
was submitted two days before I read it!
To all the financially desperate archers may I offer the following ten tips and advice?
1. Most of the information you need to complete the forms can be used for any of the grant organisations. It is repetitive
so create a document and trust to “Cut and Paste”;
2. Read and re-read the application form notes and gather all of the information before you attempt to fill in the forms.
All of the above forms are completed on line with explanatory drop down menu help;
3. Be absolutely honest in how you intend to utilise the grant as you will be required to demonstrate and account for
expenditure;
4. Take pictures of the equipment that you have purchased, with happy smiling archers in the background, as all the benefactors
welcome the publicity - we have a piece on the Cash4Clubs website. Offer them this and request stickers and promotional
stuff for their organisation.
5. Thank them publicly on your website and inform the local press if you are successful.
6. Get on first name terms with the grant case officer and the Sports Development Officer of the borough council as it
helps if you want to reapply for more cash. We invited ours for a free archery lesson - he was rubbish but enthusiastic!
Telephone your local county and borough council as they often run club funding courses and will put you on their database
for future funding.
7. Highlight what your club can do for the community and not what the community can do for your club.
8. Sport England works on funding a specific project with identified goals and objectives, on which you will be expected to
write an end of project report, so do not set unrealistic or unobtainable project goals.
9. Contact our very helpful NFAS Membership Secretary and ensure that your club is registered with NFAS (our National
Governing Body) before applying for Sport England grants. They will not consider you unless you have a National governing
Body registration number, and it is a key element on the application forms - and they do check so you cannot just make
one up!
10. Do not spend the money before you get it! As we did not receive all that we asked for we will be obliged to melt down
Keith’s zimmer frame if we are to afford the Rinehart 3D Blue Whale!
Most of the above is common sense, however I take comfort that there must be another club secretary out there in
NFAS land who may benefit from my ramblings.
I would be delighted to send copies of our successful completed application forms to anyone who is interested
(ColinBonfield@aol.com). I can also print out the forms to send by post if you send an A4 SAE.
Best of luck, and if any of you are in the North Norfolk area with a bow and a couple of arrows we will happily show you
how we have spent the cash and give you a ride in our new club Porsche 911, Metallic Black with tan interior and matching
bow rack!
Colin Bonfield
King’s Lynn Field Archers
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Club funding
by Colin Bonfield