Including GWAS Outdoor Championship
The Grand Western Archery Society holds it Annual Archery Championship Meeting at Dunster Castle Deer Park in June each year, set in the grounds of Dunster Castle which has been a fortified Tor since the late Anglo-Saxon period. The Lutterrel family have owned the Castle since the 14th Century, until 1976 when the Castle and most of its contents were given to the National Trust.
The Annual Archery Meeting has been held in the west since 1861, and there have been many Lady and Gentlemen Champions, most notably Lucy Awdry who was champion 12 times, and Mr R Books-King who was champion 17 times, and was chosen to compete in the London Olympics, where he won a silver medal.
The very first Dunster Archery Week was held from the 15th to 22nd May 1955 and there were twenty targets were set out on the Polo Grounds. The event commenced with the Somerset County Championships on the first Sunday and finished with the Grand Western Meeting over the following weekend. The rest of the week was given over to practice and social events.
The week was voted a great success, much of which was due to the warmth of the welcome extended by Mr and Mrs Geoffrey Luttrell and the beauty of the setting.
Previous Results
2020 Results – No Dunster due to COVID-19
68th Dunster Archery Week, 2024
The 68th Dunster Archery Week incorporating the Grand Western Archery Society 150th Championship Meeting will take place between 15-21 July 2024.
At the Grand Western Archery Meeting,
Oh what a sight to see,
Arrows flying through the air with such grace and glee.
For it’s the 150th gathering, a celebration so grand,
Where archers from all over the land come to showcase their hand.
With bows drawn back and quivers full, each archer takes aim, their focus is cool. (mostly)
Golds and near-misses, some arrows astray, and that one chap who aimed the wrong way!
In the heart of the West, where legends are born, the spirit of archery is proudly worn.
Under the sun’s warm embrace, they take their stand, at the Grand Western Archery
Meeting, a tradition so grand.
So raise your bows and arrows true, With quiet pride in all they do.
For 150 years of skill and art, Long live the archers with a golden heart!
And when the day’s done, with laughter and cheer, we’ll toast to the targets missed far and near.
For in archery, as in life, it’s often been told, the best stories aren’t always in the gold!