The Club was formed in 1984 when Alistair Bowman (really, that’s his name!) decided that it was too far to travel to his previous club in Edinburgh . We began shooting indoors in the old Bannockburn High School (where we took our name) until it was closed to make way for housing in 1995.
After a stint in Bannockburn Community Centre and the Raploch Centre, we ended up in Stirling County Rugby Club’s hall from 1996 until the move to Lornshill Academy in Tullibody in 2007. Outdoor venues have included the grounds of Bannockburn High School (which are still there but now surrounded by houses), Fotheringhams Farm, Blair Drummond which provided a home for a few years as did the Strathallan Games Park in Bridge of Allan and Stirling County Rugby Football Club. In 2012 we returned to Strathallan Games Park as our outdoor venue.
None of the original members still shoot with the Club – the last founding member, and chairwoman, leaving us in 2008. However, our longest current member has been with us man and boy for around 25 years!
Our 25th anniversary year in 2009 was marked by hosting a number of Open competitions, which were successful and well attended. Since then we continue to host regular Indoor and outdoor competitions, attracting a wide range of archers, both geographical and ability wise. Maybe part of the reason for our success has been the introduction of our Spider Awards range, an exclusive badge that can only be claimed when shooting at Bannockburn.
In 2010, Bannockburn Bowmen were one of the Scottish clubs that provided Come and Try sessions in Princes St Gardens , Edinburgh as part of the Archery World Cup Finals. We also had some members volunteering as part of the team responsible for delivering the event. This in turn lead to one member volunteering at the London 2012 Olympics.
We are now entering our 30th anniversary year, and plans are afoot to commemorate this milestone.
Over the years we have had many members set Scottish and British records, hold Scottish championships at Junior and Senior level, and Regional awards too. But we also have members for whom participation is everything, and they enjoy both shooting and the social aspect of a group activity. Whatever your level of interest, we’d be delighted to welcome you into our Club.