Dragging a smallbore club into the 21st century...

[Tiff]

My local indoor smallbore club has the potential to be great, but unfortunately is currently located somewhere in the mid 20th century.
There is a committee meeting approaching and I'd really appreciate some feedback on which of the points below you think I should raise:

No air ventilation system in the range
Poor lighting, with prone shooters firing almost in the dark through 'windows' in a stud wall - apparently the dark helps get a better sight picture...
Bad range design of the FP shooting benches - effectively encouraging shooters to uncase rifles and then point them at fellow shooters before benching the rifles and the reverse when shooting has finished.
Old carpets on and around the FP's
Unpainted floors & walls in the range
Distinct lack of cleaning for many many years
Poor design of the FP screens between shooters, with them not being wide enough and finishing from the ceiling at waist height, so empties from LSR hit the neighbouring shooters legs.
An uneven concrete range floor down range
A leaking roof and trees growing into the roof space
Roof lining falling down due to damp and numerous rounds hitting it...
Lots of 'precious items' (aka. junk) being stored along the sides of the range - along with 10+ tonnes of newspapers for recycling, that are stored for up to 10 months.
There is also a distinct dislike of new members, especially if under 18, (average membership age is probably 60+).
Plus no real formal coaching structure being implemented, for those that do manage to join.

Your thoughts on the above would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Tiff

[20series]

Sadly your plight is common particularly amongst the small-bore clubs, I have been a member of several in the past and it's a general attitude of apathy.

My advice is start with small, easy to do and don't cost much "easy wins",

1- get rid of the rubbish "it's a fire/trip hazard"
2- paint doesn't cost a lot and is easy done
etc

Alan

[Gaz]

No ventilation is a H&S hazard due to lead particulates building up in the air. If it was a military range it'd be closed.
Lighting - doesn't the NSRA have rules on range conditions for shooting in postal leagues etc? My home club used to turn all the lights off, until someone evidently had a look at the rules. Now we shoot with them on, and it's much nicer in general.
Carpets - again, fire hazard, particularly with retaining unburnt propellant if positioned on or in front of the firing points.
Paint - volunteer day with a few buckets.
Down-range clutter - presents a ricochet hazard if someone clips it, claim it or bin it.

I'd be inclined to find a few club and let this one perish to be honest, it sounds like it's in a physically awful state as well as being populated by people who have done what they do for many years and who may be very set in their ways.

[Les]

My local indoor smallbore club has the potential to be great, but unfortunately is currently located somewhere in the mid 20th century.
There is a committee meeting approaching and I'd really appreciate some feedback on which of the points below you think I should raise:

No air ventilation system in the range
Poor lighting, with prone shooters firing almost in the dark through 'windows' in a stud wall - apparently the dark helps get a better sight picture...
Bad range design of the FP shooting benches - effectively encouraging shooters to uncase rifles and then point them at fellow shooters before benching the rifles and the reverse when shooting has finished.
Old carpets on and around the FP's
Unpainted floors & walls in the range
Distinct lack of cleaning for many many years
Poor design of the FP screens between shooters, with them not being wide enough and finishing from the ceiling at waist height, so empties from LSR hit the neighbouring shooters legs.
An uneven concrete range floor down range
A leaking roof and trees growing into the roof space
Roof lining falling down due to damp and numerous rounds hitting it...
Lots of 'precious items' (aka. junk) being stored along the sides of the range - along with 10+ tonnes of newspapers for recycling, that are stored for up to 10 months.
There is also a distinct dislike of new members, especially if under 18, (average membership age is probably 60+).
Plus no real formal coaching structure being implemented, for those that do manage to join.

Your thoughts on the above would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Tiff

Have you attempted to address any of these things yourself, Tiff? It's all very well asking the commitee to 'do' domething about it, but it also needs the members to play their part.

[Tiff]

Have you attempted to address any of these things yourself, Tiff? It's all very well asking the committee to 'do' domething about it, but it also needs the members to play their part.

For the last 2 or 3 years some minor things are mentioned at committee, working parties formed by very willing volunteers like myself, but then no money is released by the committee to enable work to happen - the cycle then starts again at the next AGM...However many other suggestions like ventilation, guest days and new members are condemned before they can really be discussed.

I'm hoping to address the problem this time, more by overwhelming paperwork if nothing else, thereby forcing the committee to tap into the £9,000+ the club has in the bank.

I've got the NRA/NSRA range construction manual and I'm tempted to highlight sections that the club is failing on as a starter, but other 'angles of attack' would be very welcome.

I have a real passion for shooting and can see the club collapsing in the next few years if it doesn't modernise; something I wouldn't forgive myself for if I stood by and let it happen.

[mag41uk]

Have a vote of no confidence!

[DavidRees]

Can you get at least one other member, preferably on the committee, who is prepared to support you? Your chances of getting changes agreed increase substantially if you are not seen as a "lone voice".

If not, I think I'd agree with Gaz -- find a better club, pronto.

David.

[Tiff]

Can you get at least one other member, preferably on the committee, who is prepared to support you? Your chances of getting changes agreed increase substantially if you are not seen as a "lone voice".

If not, I think I'd agree with Gaz -- find a better club, pronto.

David.

There are a solid 8+ members behind/alongside me on modernising the place (about a 1/4 of the club). Another 1/2 of the club would like change but don't want to rock the boat, with the final 1/4 being the 'old guard' adamant that things must not change. It is predominately from this final group that the committee is mostly formed and has been for some time...

That being said, there is perhaps one or two on the committee that could be swayed if the 'argument' is solid, reasoned and clearly supported by the literature. Thus the search for supporting literature and ideas on where efforts should be focused most at this stage.

My biggest fear is the club won't consider change until there is a serious incident, at which time the club would almost certainly be no more.

[dromia]

The AGM is the time to act by putting in place a new committee.

You need to stand for the key posts and get a majority on the committee to then drive through the improvements.

If the membership won't vote for this then that is how the club will stay and you really do need to find another shooting home.

[Watcher]

Most importantly find out what the Club's youth policy is. What are they doing to attract the next generation of shooters?