Archery is one of the oldest sports in existence, with evidence of it having existed in the Stone Age.
It is mentioned in the Old
Testament, for example II Samuel 22:35 - Esau and Ishmael were archers, as were the Judeans, Israelites
and the Egyptians and eventually the great Roman Legions adopted its use. The Prophet Muhammad was also said to be a keen archer.
Such was the importance of archery in Tudor times that all adult men were required by law to attend
archery practice every Sunday after church, so that if war broke out there would be a ready army of skilled
archers with little training required.
Throughout history, the archer has
changed the destiny of nations. The bow has been the decisive factor in
too many battles to be remembered. Today the use of the bow is confined to an
exacting sport, with a great number of followers. Archery featured as a sport in the
early years of the modern Olympics until 1920, before being revived in 1972.
Since then it has been fully established
as an Olympic sport.
A new facet of this many-sided sport was
developed many years ago in hospitals such as Stoke Mandeville, Lodge Moor
and Pinderfields when it was realised that people with physical disabilities
could benefit from its therapy.
Our founder Chris Wright (who sadly died
in 1993) decided that the club should be formed with the aim of bringing
people with disabilities together and promoting the sport of archery.
In 1955 a sub section of the Infantile
Paralysis fellowship formed the IPF Bowmen of Leeds.
In 1962 some club members broke away from
the IPF and changed the club name - they wanted to incorporate other
people with disabilities and so spread the aims of the club further afield. This turned
out to be a wise decision and the club was renamed Panda Bowmen, the name
being derived from Polio and Disabled
and the panda was adopted as an insignia.
The club has had many grounds, the
latest being West Park Leeds Rugby Union Club.
Panda Bowmen will be celebrating their 70th anniversary in June 2025, with a special event to be announced.
Archive photos
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