SUNDAYS in winter are often associated with lie-ins, roast dinners and doing anything to avoid the cold.
But for one group of archers in Surrey, Sunday mornings mean a 10 o'clock start at the outdoor range in Brockham, quivers at the ready.
Reigate Priory Bowmen, an archery club established in 1905, is out in freezing temperatures on a Sunday to compete in the Frostbite League. Olivia Lee went along to watch them in action.
IF YOU expected wooden Robin Hood-esque bows you would be surprised by the robotic like contraptions that most members use. These are recurve bows, a more modern take with a number of gadgets designed to improve performance.
Coach Trefor Hall, 52, admits that he prefers the stripped back classic wooden bow.
"You can see what you're doing wrong when you use the simple bows," he says.
"When some people use recurve bows there's so many gadgets that they want to blame one of them, rather than seeing that they're doing something wrong."
The fire service worker from West Sussex is one of three coaches at the club, and gives me a lesson using a recurve bow. As a fan of sports, I harboured hopes that I might be a natural, but I was sorely disappointed.
Rather than the smooth, elegant movement I was expecting, there's quite a jolt as you release the arrow. Trefor explains that once your technique develops, the movements do become smoother.
All in all, it's an infuriating exercise. Focus on your posture and you forget to release smoothly. Remember to release smoothly and you're probably forgetting to hold the arrow to the edge of your mouth. Get the arrow placement right and the chances are you're leaning the wrong way, or your shoulders are collapsing, or worst of all you're forgetting to aim.
After one hour I'm ready to give up on the idea of being an undiscovered master archer. My feet are cold, my shoulders ache and my fingers are starting to feel incredibly sore.
And then I hit the mark. One arrow neatly sails through the air, burrows into the centre of the target and suddenly all feelings of frustration disappear. Of course the elation is only momentary. But there is a lot of satisfaction to be taken from hearing that neat little thud as the arrow ploughs into the centre of the straw circle. Admittedly I'm only shooting at a 20-yard range, and some of my arrows do find their way into the undergrowth rather than onto the target. But it is easy to see how someone can get hooked on that feeling of success.
"The release is usually the part people find hardest," says Trefor.
"You need to bring your hand to the same place each time. Getting it right again and again is the biggest battle, and people do get very frustrated."
The other archers are shooting at a 50-metre range, but club chairman Geoff Bailey, 66, explains that this is in order to get the shoot over more quickly.
Usually members will shoot right to the end of the field but in the cold weather no-one is keen to stay out for too long.
Geoff, who lives in Reigate, thinks that archery is the kind of sport that can offer something to all kinds of people, particularly the younger generation.
"Why people get involved with archery is a hard question to answer," he says. "An incredible spectrum of people come along.
"There are a lot of benefits to it. It helps your upper body strength, it's very sociable, it increases your discipline and concentration. And most importantly it gets people outside in the fresh air and away from their computers.
"The problem is that kids need their parents to bring them. It's not like football where you can just have a kick-around. Going out and shooting arrows is harder to get involved in."
Many current members of the club got involved when their sons, grandsons, nieces and nephews started to shoot, and Trefor thinks some of those turning up to introduce their child to the sport are actually far more interested in starting themselves.
"Some grown-ups want to have a go but won't own up to it, so they bring their children along," he says.
Steve Bowie, an IT technician from Dorking, picked up his first bow two and a half years ago when his son Sam took an interest.
While Steve, 47, is still very much enjoying it, 14-year-old Sam has unearthed a particular talent for the sport, and was the winner of a number of competitions last year, including the Surrey Championships. The young archer isn't setting his sights on a career in the sport though.
"I'm not wanting to train every day or try to get into the Olympics or anything," says the teen. "This is just for fun really."
Membership has fluctuated over the years according to Geoff. After the release of the Lord of the Rings in 2001 there was a peak in numbers, as well as after the various Robin Hood films and series that have been made in the past decade.
And now, in the wake of the Olympics, the club is more popular than ever, with the six-week beginner course for this winter already full up and the course for next summer close to being full too.
So is it something I'd return to? I'm not sure, I may be happier in the Maid Marian role than that of Robin Hood. What I am sure of is that this is a sport for anyone who enjoys a challenge, young or old. It may have been a cold and wet few hours in that field in Brockham, but like most things in life, it was worth it for that one shot on target.
To find out more on the club, visit their website: reigatepriorybowmen.org.uk
