Dear Member,
Re: Insurance Requirements re Solo Shooting at Bournemouth Sports Club
Those of you who attended the Extraordinary General Meeting on 27th April 2017 will be aware that the Committee has been investigating the need to ensure members have appropriate insurance to allow continuation of solo shooting at Bournemouth Sports Club.
The background to this action is that you may have seen from the Archery UK magazine that Archery GB has introduced a new national system for the registration of all archery ranges with effect from the Ist April. In the past we have relied upon an agreement with the Sports Club insurers to allow us to shoot on a solo basis, but this outdated arrangement is no longer adequate to meet the current AGB requirements. Therefore, we have been exploring public liability insurance options to allow members to continue solo shooting. The relevant AGB regulation regarding solo shooting is detailed in the ‘Rules of Shooting’ which can be found on the AGB website – rule 103. Solo shooting outdoors at the sports club means shooting without anyone else present. You will see that under rule 103 (a) it states that normally there should be a minimum of two people present both being a minimum of 18 years of age, one of whom may be a non-archer to act as a lookout. The archer is responsible for informing the lookout of all safety aspects applicable.
Our review has revealed that getting all Club insurance for this purpose is difficult to achieve, particularly at a realistic premium. Also the current sports club insurers have advised us that members should seek individual insurance cover for solo shooting. This seems fair as not all members will want to pursue solo shooting.
A number of possible options have been investigated but currently the most suitable one appears to be individual insurance by a company called Gunplan who offer Public Liability insurance of £10 million for archery at a premium of £25 per annum (apparently this can discounted by 10% if you pay online). They have confirmed that this will cover solo shooting.
Members are free to use other insurance companies but they will need to provide written confirmation that the insurance cover is adequate to allow solo shooting (N.B. It would have to provide at least £10m of Public Liability cover that Archery GB insurance provides).
Members can visit the Gunplan website at www.gunplan.co.uk. You will see that they are underwritten by RSA and will provide a free personalised Public Liability confirmation card that can be produced for inspection.
To continue solo shooting, members will have to arrange their own insurance, and written confirmation that this has been arranged is to be handed to Carole Tidd, Membership Secretary. Written confirmation should be carried by members whenever they are shooting so that appropriate cover can be shown if requested. A list of those members who have insurance for solo shooting will be put up in the club building/container so that details can be checked if necessary. Any member discovered shooting on a solo basis without appropriate insurance will be subject to immediate disciplinary action likely to result in expulsion from the Club.
On an operational basis, if members who are not appropriately insured are left in a position where they are the last person shooting on the field, they will have to either finish shooting and leave the field or wait until another member appears so they can continue.
It should be noted that solo shooting only applies to senior members (those aged 18 and over) as Junior members can only shoot when supervised by an adult member of Archery GB. Junior members will also need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian or an appointed responsible adult at all times when shooting. However, provided they are an adult member of Archery GB, one parent/guardian alone can supervise his/her own children but must accept responsibility of acting as the lookout for when the Junior is shooting. In these circumstances, the parent/guardian can only shoot subject to having solo insurance if no other senior archers are present.
It should also be noted that members shooting on their own are doing so at their own risk in respect of personal injuries. The Gunplan insurance mentioned above is for public liability cover so members would need to seek additional cover if they wish to include personal injuries/accident protection. Some domestic house insurance policies may include this – members will need to check their own policy.
Please note that those members that wish to shoot on a solo basis must exercise extreme vigilance, and ensure that the appropriate safety fencing and roping off of the shooting field is in place supported by warning signs, particularly at all entrance points. As always safety is paramount – if it’s not safe to shoot don’t shoot!
For those members not wishing to pursue solo shooting, it is recommended that a ‘buddy-up’ system is developed to ensure that other archers are present when people want to shoot. This can be achieved via social media, text, email or phone, or can simply be a standing arrangement as to meeting up to shoot at agreed set days and times. We will also explore creating a Club Facebook page to help members communicate regarding members wishing to meet up to shoot together. It should also be noted that Tuesday and Friday evenings plus Saturdays are usual Club shooting times.
It is expected that members will arrange suitable insurance as soon as possible to allow continuation of solo shooting, with a deadline of this being in place by 14th August. Only those members with appropriate insurance will be allowed to shoot on a solo basis after this date.
If you have any queries regarding the above please contact me or any Committee member.
Best regards,
David Williams
Chairman
17/7/17