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NSRA Newsletter Mat 2021
 
 

Dawn of a new era as NSRA bounces back from COVID-19


I am delighted to have this opportunity as your Chairman to report on the giant strides forward the NSRA is making in spite of nearly 14 months of battling COVID and all its consequences. Here are some of the highlights of the progress we are making:

• Nearly 1,000 members have rejoined or joined for the first time in the last two months
• Understandably, many clubs have been cautious before deciding to reopen and again over the last few weeks more and more are renewing their affiliation with the NSRA
• The NSRA Shop in Bisley and the Lord Roberts Centre are now open 5 days a week – more information can be found here
• NSRA Aldersley is not only up, running and open again but benefitting from the magnificent efforts of our army of volunteers – more information can be found here
• Many staff remain furloughed but our offices are now open 5 days a week and response rates to telephone and email enquiries are improving all the time
• A new National Shooting Championships scheduled for the Summer and Autumn, and being shot around the regions, will be launching shortly to replace the cancelled National Championships in Bisley and Scotland
• The NSRA and NRA are collaborating in leading the campaign to remove the existential threat posed by a ban on the use of lead.

There are many others too and the purpose of this newsletter is to communicate what is happening, the results we are achieving and why the future for the NSRA and most importantly you the Shooter is looking bright.

We would also like to pay tribute to Dee Fuller, our recently retired Deputy CEO, whose loyal service to the NSRA has spanned four decades. If there is someone who knows more about the workings of the NSRA I certainly haven’t met them and we wish Dee a long and happy retirement with our thanks.
At the same time I would like to thank Dave Froggett and Phil Pride and all the staff who have taken on shared responsibilities for the day to day running of the NSRA since Iain Root, our CEO, retired in December. I hope you enjoy our Newsletter and find it informative and encouraging.
John Lloyd, Chairman NSRA



Dave Froggett launches the NSRA Performance Clubs Programme

The NSRA represents around 900 clubs which cover a diverse range of disciplines. The clubs all have their own “character” and most members and committee members put in an inordinate amount of work to maintain them. Across these clubs some are mainly focussed on recreational shooting. However, others have a more competitive focus and aspire to enrol, nurture and prepare high quality competitive shooters – many of whom aspire to represent their county, region or country in high level competition.




You deserve a Medal!

To all of you who have been waiting too long for medals, bars and plaquettes won in competition and eagerly anticipated, we are pleased to confirm all outstanding items are being engraved this week and next. We are expecting delivery within the next 10 days and they will be mailed out to you from the end of this month. We have outsourced the engraving to clear the backlog and will use this process going forward. There will be no further delays and at future championships and competitions we will actually have the machinery and manpower on site, so medal winners can walk away the same day with the medal or medals they have won. No longer will we tolerate a situation where a shooter enters a competition when still waiting to receive the medal they won the previous year – or worse still perhaps the year before. We recognise we need to change and this is just one small example that we mean what we say and will follow it through.


NSRA Online Membership Portal

It is nearly six months since our new online membership system went live, so this is an opportune time to review the progress and benefits it has brought and to provide reminders and access to additional user information you may find helpful.

Firstly when you need to renew your membership or club affiliation click here. and enter the email address you already have registered with the NSRA. The same access to the system is to be used if a shooter is joining us for the first time. Please do share this link with any of your family members, friends or colleagues who may be considering joining the NSRA. Details of membership benefits can be found here.

To help you navigate around the new system we have created some easy to use video guides and FAQs and a Club version if you are a Club Administrator.

Like any new system there are always teething problems which can cause frustration at times. However we are convinced and feedback would suggest Members are increasingly sharing our view that greater efficiency is now available as the individual member and club administrator can update their own information and contact details as well as use the functions that are relevant to your needs. Of course if you do need to contact us please do so by emailing membership@nsra.co.uk



NSRA Newsletter Mat 2021

NSRA Online Results Portal launches this month


The NSRA Competitions Team are finalising the Online Results Portal for publishing results for our Leagues and Competitions. The Online Results Portal is an integral component of the NSRA's Time For Change initiative to ensure the NSRA provides a more efficient and timely service to our members and supporters. The Online Results Portal will be launched at the end of May as your one-stop-shop for viewing NSRA postal results, starting with our Winter 2020/21 postal leagues. The Comps Team are training the NSRA Central Scorers on using the Portal to upload scores and we are excitedly working hard on the last testing phase of the primary functionality before the launch. The Summer 2021 season of postal leagues is being prepared using the Portal as part of this testing, so our members will be able to view both the Winter and Summer Season when we launch the Online Results Portal. We hope you are as keen to use the Portal as the NSRA are to introduce it.



Save money and join the NSRA Rewards today!

If you haven’t done so already why not join NSRA REWARDS for just £5 and save hundreds of £’s in major high street and online retailers, restaurants, hotels and many other leisure destinations. While you are saving money you are also recouping the cost of you membership and enjoying much greater value for money from your association with the NSRA. To mark the lifting of further restrictions on 21 June you will be able to use your NSRA Rewards card in the NSRA Shop where you will be able to take advantage of ongoing discounts and offers that will run month to month. We are often asked why should I join the NSRA well hopefully now there are many more reasons to do just that. So why not start saving money today at our NSRA Rewards website.



NSRA Newsletter Mat 2021

Walking the Talk

Phil Pride sets out a much needed fresh approach to Customer Service:
In the past year there has been considerable discussion and some progress about the need for Organisational Change. Now is the time to deliver more. We are not multi-billionaire global football club owners, who talk constantly in terms of “stakeholders” and “engagement”, we are a comparatively small membership based organisation whose future depends on continually improving customer service and now is the time to up our game.

So the following words and phrases are now 'banned' at the NSRA:

• “We’re very busy”
• “Can you call back tomorrow”
• “Can you call back next week”
• “Hopefully”
• “We’ll do our best”
• “The person you need to speak to is....”

To put it simply we need to make ourselves individually and collectively far more accessible and accountable. There is no shame in saying “I don’t know” but everything to be gained by committing to find out and to follow up at an agreed time and then of course making sure it happens. No more excuses, no more hiding places and to start out as we mean to carry on here are my contact details ppride@nsra.co.uk and 07572 147888.



Team Contacts

Click Here for a full list of NSRA Contacts and in addition please note Tessa Shorey has recently been appointed Administration Manager and Tim Woolford LRC Centre Manager so any supplier or accounts queries requiring answers please email tshorey@nsra.co.uk and for range and venue hire at LRC please email Tim at reception@nsra.co.uk