Hi,

There are just a few weeks left before the Club packs up the swords and masks and heads off to sunny climates for a well-earned rest. But before we go here are the dates for the autumn term and latest news.

Autumn term dates and times

Summer term finishes on Sunday 20th July. The autumn term dates are:

Sunday 7 September – Sunday 19 October

and

Sunday 2 November – Sunday 14 December

10am – 12noon for adults and intermediate juniors

10am- 11am for children (please see news below for more details on this change)

Fees

Adults £42 per term (£84 for both), people in full time education £35 per term (£70 for both). You can pay for both terms together or one term at a time. Either way please pay promptly to help us keep our costs down.

Changes to the Club times for children?

We currently have a waiting list of children wanting to try out fencing but within our current structure we aren’t able to meet this demand. So, from September 2014 we’ll be making some changes to the way we run the children’s session to give more children a chance to try out fencing. The children’s session will now run from 10am-11am. It will be play-based for less experienced and new children. The focus will be on fencing games, some drills, footwork and introductory level fencing. Once a month we’ll open the session to new children so they can join in for a taster. We’ll be purchasing new kit for this session. Once children have progressed to a suitable level they will be able to come along to the intermediate and adult Club sessions from 10am – 12noon. Over the next few weeks committee members will let you know if this change affects you and will be able to explain the plans in more detail. If you have any concerns please email enquiries@lewesfencingclub.org.uk.

A warm welcome to all our new fencers

We are delighted to see the Club growing with a number of new people joining us from the most recent beginners’ courses. Gerad and Della certainly did a good job coaching them as the new fencers are proving to be a challenge on the piste already and show great potential. A big welcome to all fencers who joined us this year – it’s great to have you around and thanks for keeping the long-standing members on their toes.

Summer Fencing

We may try to organise some fencing sessions over the summer if the weather is not too hot and people are around. Details will be published on the Website and our Facebook page. These sessions will be only suitable for those with their own full electric kit and able to fence on piste.

AGM

The Club will be holding it’s AGM on Sunday 13 July from 12.10pm – 1pm at Lewes Leisure Centre. The AGM will run immediately after the Club session to encourage you to come along. We’ll provide updates on how the Club is operating and give you a chance to share your ideas for future activities. We’ll also be voting new committee members into official roles. Please do join us.

Fencing Kit

Over the summer the Club will be checking the condition of all LFC kit to ensure it continues to meet safety standards and to give it a good wash! It is important that all kit is returned to the club by Sunday 20 July or we may need to charge you for any unreturned kit or equipment. Following advice from other Clubs and coaches we will no longer be loaning out kit for members to take home outside of Club time. If you have borrowed kit from us you may now need to purchase your own. Our kit policy is on the website and prioritises beginners’ so please review the policy. If you’d like to buy your own kit then the website also has lots of information. If you need help please speak to one of the committee.

Kit for Sale

We do have some spare jackets and plastrons that we will be offering for sale in the coming weeks, The kit is mostly the smaller sizes and some of it is only suitable for non-electric fencing. It will be offered on a first come first served basis.

Be friendly and connect with us

Our newsletters are just one way to hear from us, you can also be our friend on Facebook and follow us on Twitter so please do connect and stay in touch. We look forward to seeing you on piste after the summer holiday.

LFC Committee (Arran, Della, Gerad, Gordon, Jakki, Jon, Simon) Lewes Fencing Club

LFC is a not for profit organisation run by volunteers. If you have any spare time we would welcome your help. Please get in touch at enquiries@lewesfencingclub.org.uk