Archery, Combat Archery Vouchers

Giver:

If you want to treat somebody to a present that really hits the target, look no further than one of our National Archery gift vouchers. With thousands of satisfied customers across the nation, we decided to ask some of them about their experience buying one of our vouchers. Here, we talked to Catherine Ford, 39, who treated her 12 year old daughter to one of our archery experiences.

“About a month ago, my daughter went on a school residential where she took part in a lot of activities. As soon as she got home, she kept talking about wanting to take up archery as a hobby- she was the best in her class at it, despite never having done it before, impressing the teachers and even the instructors. Naturally, I started looking around online for somewhere she could take part.

“I didn’t realise how many venues were near us! The only problem was we didn’t know much about archery and we needed to keep the present as a surprise. We were struggling to find the best location, whilst also keeping the trip a secret. With five archery venues within 20 miles of of our home town of Leeds, we were spoiled for choice, but had no idea what on earth to choose.

“Whilst browsing the National Archery website, we found the answer to our problem- a National Archery gift voucher. This was a one way ticket to tons of different archery locations across the country- a present that she’d love, that would let her choose the archery experience she wanted for herself! I bought the voucher right there and then.

“I decided to put £70 on the voucher, so I could join her and see her archery skills for myself. If they’ve impressed her friends and teachers, they’re going to make her mother proud too! Then, I selected gift wrapping, entered my details and that was it- all finished and I’d only been on the website a couple of minutes. It couldn’t have been made any easier.

“Just a couple of days later, the voucher arrived in the post. I couldn’t wait to surprise my daughter and when I gave her the package she was completely over the moon. After that, I just couldn’t wait to go and see my little Robin Hood in action! Thank you National Archery, for the excellent service and a present me and my daughter will never forget.

Receiver:

There is no better gift than a National Archery gift voucher. All you need to do is ask of any of the lucky recipients! Here, we spoke to 12 year old Georgia Ford, who was given a National Archery gift voucher by her mum as a surprise present.

“I’ve recently fallen in love with archery. I never would have thought I’d fall in love with it, but then I took part in an archery challenge during a school trip and it was amazing! So I started nagging my mum to find somewhere where I could take part in archery lessons. She’s always been saying I should find a hobby- and now I’ve found one that was perfect for me!

“Then one morning, she called me downstairs and said something had arrived in the post for me. She handed me a plain envelope, so I just thought she was handing me a boring letter from the bank or somewhere. Then I looked inside and saw a National Archery gift voucher; I couldn’t contain my excitement. I was bouncing around the house all morning, this was the best present ever!

“Once my mum managed to calm me down, she told me that I could choose anywhere to go shooting, as long as she got to come and take part too. She really wanted to see how good I was with a bow and arrow, so I agreed and said she could join me. I’d love it if I could beat her at an archery challenge. She told me to head straight to the National Archery website and see if there were any spaces for the weekend at the sites near us.

“There were some spots left at the Tadcaster site, so I decided to book online. My mum struggles with technology, but even she could book these- all you needed to do was enter the voucher code and that was it. You didn’t even need to bring the voucher with you, as National Archery did all the work for you.

“Just a couple of minutes later, we received an email with maps and directions to the site. This was incredibly useful, as we were driving from Leeds and we had no idea how to get there! Luckily, we managed to arrive with plenty of time to spare. When we arrived on site, the staff were incredibly friendly and helped us get straight into the game- both me and my mum had a great time and we can’t wait to do it again! I can’t thank her enough for getting me the National Archery gift voucher”

My sister's seriously got her hands full with three boys, so for her birthday I wanted to treat her a day out that would keep them occupied for at least a couple of hours. With that in mind I decided to treat them all to an archery experience.

Instead of booking them in straight away I thought a voucher would be the better option as it gave her a year to find some time to squeeze it in. Plus the voucher came boxed up with loads of information about different extreme sports and activities, which I knew the boys would love reading.

When I saw her and the boys on her birthday they were all really excited about their archery experience, and to stop a riot she'd redeemed her voucher straight away. My sister seemed just as excited as the kids to try archery though, so I knew they'd really enjoy their day.

The day of their archery experience soon came and believe me I heard all about it! I wish I'd been able to go with them on the day because it sounded like everybody had a blast. The boys loved it and so did my sister, next time I’ll definitely be joining in!

CHRISTIAN SLATER

Last Christmas I received an archery experience gift voucher from my girlfriend, and I couldn't wait to be let loose with a bow and arrow! I love stuff like that, so I was buzzing to finally try archery. The voucher came with loads of information about archery experiences too, and after reading up on it all I couldn't wait to get my experience booked in.

A couple of weeks after I'd got my voucher I'd redeemed it, and it couldn't have been easier. Thankfully I didn't have to wait long until my archery experience either, so before I knew it I was at the site getting ready to take on the targets. The day started with short safety briefing, but after that it was straight down to action. The instructors are great and teach you all the essentials, so in no time at all you're comfortable using the bows and hitting the target.

Once you've got to grips with the basics the fun really starts, and you get to play loads of different competitions and games. By the end of my experience I felt like I'd learnt loads, and archery is definitely one of the best target sports I've tried. It definitely won't be my last archery experience!

PETE JANICS