By Jenny Barwise

Last updated 15:05, Friday, 29 August 2008

WEST Cumbrian Olympic archer Alan Wills has said he could leave the county because he has nowhere to train.

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Decision: Alan Wills

The 27-year-old from Arlecdon flew home from Beijing on Sunday after finishing in the top 16 in the men’s archery event in the Olympic Games.

Alan started training again on Tuesday, but is having to do it in his mum’s garage because he has nowhere else to go.

During the winter Alan used to train three nights a week at Sellafield, but he has been told that he can no longer train there and the equipment that he used has been removed.

Alan said: “We got kicked out of there. The Olympic athlete has nowhere to train.”

A Sellafield spokesman said: “We have been happy to allow Alan to use the facilities at the Training Centre during the run up to the Olympics.

“Unfortunately, operational requirements now mean that we need to use this facility for the use of site personnel.”

He added that it is now required as a Training Simulation Centre in order to provide site personnel with a safe working environment in order to practice the skills learnt in the classroom.

“This facility will reflect the ‘best in class’ found throughout the industry.

“Obviously, the safety of our personnel on site and the need to provide the best facilities for them is one of our highest priorities,” he said.

Alan is not 100 per cent certain he will be competing in the London Olympics in 2012, he said that he is 95 per cent sure he will be going and if he does decide to go, said he will train hard.

“If I go for 2012, I will put everything into it and move away because if the facilities are not here to train – I can’t stand in my mum’s garage.”

He said that he would have to move to the Midlands or to the south of the country.

“It would be sooner rather than later,” he added.

He is having a review meeting in October where he will make his decision.

And he already has his first competition after the Olympics in a couple of weeks’ time at Morpeth in the north east, before another shoot in Cheshire in early October.

In six weeks’ time Alan will be travelling down to London with the rest of team GB where he will attend a special ceremony in Buckingham Palace with the Queen.

“I am definitely looking forward to that,” said Alan.

In Alan’s first eliminator in the Olympic Games he saw off Mauro Nespoli 103-99 and then edged out Marco Galliazo 110-109. His second opponent was ranked 12th in the tournament – 10 places ahead of Wills.

But then Cuba’s Juan Carlos Stevens shattered Alan’s dreams of Olympic glory.

At the moment Alan is getting used to being back in the country. He said: “It was kind of strange coming home after so long. I am trying to get back into normal life.”

He said he is going back to work for a couple of days next week to Frizington-based C & E Builders.

He said that the support he got while he was away and when he returned was good.

“It is nice when people ring you up and when people say you are famous – it is really nice.

“The support I got from people at home and everywhere was brilliant, but I am just one of the lads, the same old me.”

Talking about his defeat by Stevens, he said: “I was a bit disappointed.

“I could have done better but it was the best experience of my life.

“It has taken a couple of days to get over the jet lag. I bought a new car - a Subaru Impreza - to try and cheer myself up and am going out with a couple of mates this weekend for a pint.”

JBarwise@cngroup.co.uk