Archery fund-raiser in memory of popular Northamptonshire man

Northamptonshire County Archery Society held a dawn ‘til dusk charity endurance shoot at Daventry and District Sports Club on Saturday.

The 15-hour marathon shoot was in honour of Chris Mason, a former chairman of the society, who lost his battle with cancer last year.

After he had discovered archery, Chris ‘Cuddles’ Mason became a major part of the shooting community within Northamptonshire and the surrounding area.

A keen Kettering Rugby Club follower, he helped to run shoots as well as becoming a ‘go to person’ for advice and support for the county’s archers.

More than 11 shooters braved an early start to take part in the shooting marathon and around 80 took part in total, including several children and one visually impaired archer.

The archers used Windsor rounds where the targets are placed at different distances, 40, 50 and 60 yards away, to vary the difficulty.

Members of the club originally set themselves a target of £3,000 but soon exceeded that amount, revised it to £5,000 and have since raised more than £6,500.

Mr Mason is survived by his partner Angie, children Jamie and Steph, and sister Carol. Members of his family had the honour of firing the first arrows for the fundraising challenge.

A spokesman for the society said: “Chris leaves a huge hole in our lives that will be hard to fill, and he will always be missed.”

Donations in memory of Mr Mason can still be made to Cancer Research. To donate visit www.justgiving.com/NCASArchery1.