By Jenny Barwise

Last updated 09:24, Saturday, 30 August 2008

OLYMPIC archer Alan Wills is now training in his mum and dad’s garage in Frizington after learning he can no longer fire his arrows at Sellafield.

Shooting star: Archer Alan Wills is back home at Rheda Park. But how long will he stay? john story

Now community leaders are rallying around him to try to keep him in the county.

Offers of training facilities and expressions of support have come from all over west Cumbria after the 27-year-old from Arlecdon broke the news that he is considering leaving the area as he has nowhere to train.

Alan used to train at Sellafield during the winter, but he has recently learned that he can no longer train there as the facility is needed for a Training Simulation Centre, so he is now shooting in his mum and dad’s garage at Rheda Park.

He said that he will make the decision in October if he will compete in the 2012 London Olympics – at the moment he is 95 per cent certain he will – and could move to the Midlands or the south of the country where the facilities are available.

The mayor of Copeland, Keith Hitchen, who held a leaving reception for Alan before he went to the Beijing games, said that it would be a great loss to the county if Alan had to leave.

“I hope it doesn’t happen. It is very bad news for us if Alan goes.

“I would hope that all of the bodies in west Cumbria that have an opportunity to support our athletes would get behind him – we need to start looking for a place for Alan to train for 2012.

“It is just an example of what happens to us here with our lack of facilities.”

Workington MP Tony Cunningham is also urging people to help Alan find a suitable training area.

“If there are facilities they should be made available to him. We need to keep people like Alan in west Cumbria,” he said.

Alan finished in the top 16 in the men’s archery event in the Olympic Games, beating the former Olympic champion Marco Galliazo.

He has his first competition since returning home on Sunday in a couple of weeks’ time at Morpeth in the north east, before another shoot in Cheshire in early October.

Stephen Cunningham, Whitehaven Sports Centre manager, said that the centre used to provide facilities for archery a few years ago, but it has now been converted into a creche.

He added: “We have a main hall which would be worth a look to see if it was suitable and available.

“We don’t get that many people who go to the Olympics from Copeland and when you do get them it would be nice to keep them.

“It is a shame if he had to move out.”

Alan will travel down to London with the rest of team GB in the middle of October where he will attend a special ceremony in Buckingham Palace with the Queen.

JBarwise@cngroup.co.uk

Opinion: page 12