We cannot emphasise strongly enough that our advice is for all archery activity in the UK to be postponed to stop all non essential contact for the foreseeable future. This decision is based on government advice and not on the advice of our insurers.
Main office is now closed
In light of the government guidance on Monday regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) we have now moved to a position where most staff at Archery GB are working from home, something which many are accustomed to doing.
The main office at Lilleshall is now closed. Post has been redirected so it can be processed, but we urge people where possible to move from paper-based documents to digital versions which can be emailed.
We are advising our staff to make use of video conferencing or conference calls wherever possible for contact and meetings with each other and with our key volunteers. Office phone lines have all been redirected during office hours and normal business services will be maintained as best as possible under the circumstances of Coronavirus. All staff can access company email accounts and Archery GB systems securely from home.
Olympic and Paralympic preparation
We continue to work towards ensuring that the GB Archery Teams go into the Games in Tokyo having had the best possible preparation, we have put in place a number of protocols to manage the risk around the Team's activities and Coronavirus. Both the Olympic and Paralympic squads continue to train at Lilleshall, which at this stage remains open. This is only open to essential staff and is operating with minimised contact. We are monitoring the situation daily.
All archery activity is postponed for the foreseeable future
All members should have received an email on Tuesday 17 March to make them aware that we are advising that all archery activity is postponed for the foreseeable future, which is in line with the government's guidelines to stop all non-essential contact. If you have not received this please login into the online members' portal and check your communication preferences and the details we hold for you are correct. If you have never used the online members' portal please find a handy guide here.
All club, county, regional and home nations secretaries should have received an email on Tuesday 17 March outlining our current position regarding the Coronavirus pandemic. If you have not received this please login into the online members' portal and check your communication preferences and the details we hold for you are correct. If you have never used the online membership portal please find a handy guide here.
Archery GB run events
We have been prioritising getting in touch with those people affected by the cancellations or postponement of Archery GB run events. We are still collating and working through the various questions and enquiries we have received over the past few days and will publish them along with the answers on the website later today. We thank you for your patience. We are also working with tournament organisers and our clubs to offer guidance to many questions that have arisen from this global pandemic.
All archery in the UK is postponed
We would like to re-emphasise as there still appears to be some confusion among our members, that we are strongly advising that all archery in the UK is postponed for the foreseeable future, to reduce all non-essential contact with others. Yesterday evening in the Prime Minister's briefing, Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty stated that the reason social distancing is so important and the reason the government are strongly advising that we should avoid all non-essential contact, is to delay the spread of the virus. This is to ensure that ICU capacity is not breached. It's crucial that people take social distancing seriously in order to protect the lives of others.
We have not made the decision to postpone archery activities lightly and it is not based on advice from our insurers, it is based on the advice from the government so we can play our part in beating this global pandemic. Please do not ignore this advice.
Finally, we would like to thank you for your continued support as we work our way through this unchartered territory. We will continue to keep you updated via our website, social media and ezines. Please be mindful that we are a small team with a huge amount of detail and questions to work through.
If you have any questions please email them to membership@archerygb.org or call the team on 01952 677888 Monday to Friday between 9am-5pm. Please treat our staff with the courtesy and respect they deserve, we will not tolerate abuse or bad language. Our team are working long hours to try and provide the latest and best advice, while balancing the impact of Coronavirus on their own lives, please be kind and respectful.
Finally, this is a stressful situation, which will undoubtedly have an impact on the mental well-being of some of our members, please click here for the most up to date guidance from the Mental Health Foundation for looking after your mental health during COVID-19
Previous updates on Coronavirus can be read below:
Tuesday 17 March: https://www.archerygb.org/all-grassroots-archery-should-be-postponed-for-the-forseeable-future/
Monday 16 March: https://www.archerygb.org/ceo-update-on-coronavirus-covid-19/
Friday 13 March: https://www.archerygb.org/covid-19-government-advice-update/
Wednesday 4 March: https://www.archerygb.org/government-issues-coronavirus-advice-for-sports/
