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Dorset & Wiltshire Archery Association

Archery in the UK is organised around clubs, counties and regions, with each playing its part in the development and support of archers.

Local clubs provide beginner courses and many run their own coaching and competitions. The counties and regions also run championships and provide routes for archers to progress to national level through the provision of county coaching and competition squads.

The earliest records of organised recreational archery with the two county areas was the formation of Old Sarum Archers in 1791.

In 1950 the Grand National Archery Society took on the role as the national governing body for archery in the UK and identified regions and county associations as key elements of the national organisation structure.!

The Dorset & Wiltshire Archery Association (DWAA) was formed in 1954/5 and is now one of four county associations alongside Devon & Cornwall, Gloucestershire and Somerset that make up the region of the Grand Western Archery Society (GWAS) one of the eight regional societies making up part of the Grand National Archery Society (GNAS) also known as ArcheryGB.

The Association was founded with the purpose of providing member, coaching, record and competition services to all affiliated archers and clubs across the two county areas also promoting and encouraging the sport of archery in its various forms (except bow hunting which is illegal in the UK).

The two counties originally agreed to form a joint county association structure until each could successfully establish and run their own.

The Association comprises of affiliated clubs and direct members within the two counties. Local clubs are expected to affiliate to county associations based upon the county they are located in.

It operates under a Constitution. The commitee comprises of the Chairman, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer and various Officer and other specialist roles along with a President. These are elected annually at the Annual General Meeting of the Association, except the President who is elected for a period of three years. Past Presidents include Keith Calder and Nick Nicholson whilst Tony Smith currently holds this position.

The key responsibilities of the Association include for both junior, senior and disabled archers organising the county shooting tournaments and competition events. Validating and maintaining county scoring records. Selecting and managing the county teams for inter-county shooting tournaments. The flagship county tournament usually held each year is the Open & County Championship.

Several English and Paralympic archers are members of clubs affiliated to the Association. Under club affiliation in 2018 Mark Rudd of affiliated Devizes Bowmen claimed the first National Record by shooting a perfect National round with all 72 arrows in the gold at the 47th annual Devizes Top Ten Tournament held on the 27th May 2018, with a score of 648. Jo Frith of affiliated Chippenham Archers became become the new W1 Champion of Europe at the European Para Championships held at Pilsen in the Czech Republic on 18th August 2018.

The Association is today recognised, in accordance with the Memorandum and Articles of the National Governing Body for Archery in the United Kingdom, as the county association promoting and governing the sport of archery within the two counties under the regional structure.