Get to know the Archery GB Board members, learning a bit more about them, their role on the board and their connections to archery. This month, we hear from Tony Barclay MBE.
I spotted an ad in the Archery GB magazine inviting expressions of interest for the role of elected director, and after giving it careful thought, thought 'why not!'. It's a sport I have come to love, and with a background in sport, governance, and with the 'added extra' of a life affecting condition (sight loss), I believed I had something worthwhile to offer. Turned out the membership agreed, and I was duly elected!
I have been a charity trustee for over 20 years and am an 'Approved Trustee' for the Charity Commission NI, serving on numerous Boards at various levels including Chairperson and chairing various committees. I have also been a volunteer consultant for Sported since 2018, specialising in governance and safeguarding. A visually-impaired ultra marathoner, and the first VI running coach in NI, I have also served as chair of my local running club.
I was 'retired' at the age of 36 due to my sight loss, and after studying for two degrees, dedicated my time to voluntary work, predominantly in the charity sector.
I am an elected director (elected by the membership) and bring lived experience of disability (though I prefer to consider myself as 'differently abled' rather than disabled).
I was fortunate enough to be invited to participate in, and qualify on, the first VI instructor's course in 2024. Since then, I have been able to assist with very popular introductory sessions for visually impaired people of all ages, as well as sighted folks. I hope to be able to inspire others, both differently and fully abled, to take up a sport that I genuinely believe is truly inclusive. Personally, I would like to see how far I can go on my own journey – as Picasso said, 'I'm always doing things I can't do. That's how I get to do them.' I hope to instil that in others, too.
My role as a director of AGB is voluntary, as are my various charitable roles including chairing a children's charity as Director and Trustee, alongside supporting a charity on behalf of the Charity Commission NI. I’m a voluntary consultant with Sported, a national charity supporting grassroots sport clubs, since 2018. I have been an Event Director for parkrun since 2014 and was recently appointed to the role of their Event Ambassador. I am also an ambassador for the RNIB/British Blind Sport 'See Sport Differently' project, encouraging more visually impaired folks to engage in sport in NI. I am the only provider of guide runner training in NI and have supported almost 200 people to learn how to guide visually impaired runners. My wife tells me I work harder in retirement through my various voluntary roles than I did when I was a police officer!
RNIB, in conjunction with Archery NI, arranged a have-a-go day quite close to where we live, and my wife and I decided to attend. NI Development Officer Lisa Wheeler and coach Marty McCullough were in attendance and made us feel very relaxed and positive – so much so that we both left the session agreeing we wanted to carry on. We identified a local coach offering an introductory course and then joined Lisburn City Archery Club. Marty has proven to be a terrific coach to us both, supporting me to become a competitive compound archer. Now a qualified Session Coach, I hope to enrol for the next coaching level and continue to support able-bodied and differently-abled folks on their own archery journey, whilst continuing to develop my own skills. Oh, and of course, ensure I am an engaged, worthwhile Director for AGB and the members!
This is actually from early in my running journey and has continued in pretty much everything I do. I started running in February 2014, guided by someone who had no visual awareness training. After completing the excellent Couch to 5k course, I took on the Forrest Gump persona and just kept on running! In May 2015, I completed my first marathon in Derry, NI. As part of that journey, we ran hundreds of miles in training. I found a saying that really stuck with me and I had it engraved on a tag attached to my shoe: 'Believe in yourself, magic will happen'. After I completed that first marathon, I had it tattooed on my arm. Ever since, I have coached folk through running and archery, at Boards I have supported and much more, encouraging others to do just that: believe in yourself. Do that, and anything is possible.
Read past editions of our 'Meet the Board' series by clicking on the links below:
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