John Richardson

Tuesday, March 10th, 2026

It is with great sadness that Bournemouth Archery Club announce that one of our former longest serving members, John Richardson (also often known as JR), passed away on Thursday 26^th February 2026 aged 91 after a relatively short illness. 

John was a very active archer in his younger years competing in local, county, and regional tournaments.  He started shooting recurve bows then moved to compound limited, gaining a National Record, and also enjoyed shooting longbow.  John then moved into coaching – something that he was very passionate about, passing on his vast knowledge to our new members and running our Beginners’ courses for well over 30 years.  Eventually John achieved County Coach status – something that he was very proud of.

In 1980 he was made Chairman of BAC – a post that he held for 18 years. He was made President of our club in 2002 only stepping down in 2023.  John was awarded Honorary Life membership of DWAA in 2021 for his distinguished service and commitment to archery over many years

To say that John was proud of Bournemouth Archery Club would be an under-statement – he loved archery and was deeply passionate about the sport and took an active interest in how the club developed over the years.  He was involved in the decision to change the name of the club from Ensbury Archers to Bournemouth Archery Club in 1982 and designed our distinctive lion badge.  He also played a key role in arranging our move to our current ground and ensuring the club thrived at its new location.  In addition, John was instrumental in the formation of our outdoor open ‘Blue Lion’ tournament which continues to this day. John will be much missed by everyone who knew him, and he leaves an outstanding legacy as to his many achievements in archery over the years

David Williams, Chairman,

Bournemouth Archery Club

Filed under : County News