Welcome to Lewes Fencing Club Newsletter -August, 2025

The summer is nearly done and the new fencing season starts soon, of course we have been fencing throughout the summer. Many thanks if you came to any of the Sunday or Wednesday sessions.  It’s also been great to see the Uni students back and to see how their fencing has improved.

Term Details

New Mini Term (9am–10am)

Dates: 7th September – 19th October (7 Weeks)

Fees: £56 for the term. Please see further details below. Fees are payable as usual on the website here:

For those who are planning for the future the Mini Term after the next runs from 2nd Nov to 14th Dec

Sunday 10am–12pm Fencers

No change here, we start at 10am, and go through to 12pm

Wednesday 7pm–9pm Fencers

Again no change. Please be aware the 5th Nov falls on a Wednesday this year so no fencing that night

Fees

These remain unchanged and should be being paid by Standing Order, if you are paying for a Mini fencer please use the link above.

A reminder the Pay As You Go fees are Adults £12, Juniors £10 per session.  PAYG is only available for the 10am session and for experienced fencers.

Branded Team Clothing

We still have some branded team clothing, for pieces we have in stock the prices are

Hoodie £35 / Adult T’s £20 / Kids T’s £15 / Adult T’s £20

We will be placing an ‘As needed’ order soon. No doubt the prices will have gone up, if you would like an item speak to Della or Gordon and we will see if we have it in stock, if not we can take details and get prices for you before placing the order.

Competitions

Whilst its the new season Sussex Fencing Union unfortunately does not have anything booked in for local competitions, they are actively working on this so we will update you as soon as we know.  All BF ratified competitions can be found under Events on Sport 80. Some notable competitions though are

  • Hampshire Open 1st Nov 2025
  • Veterans Guildford Open 9th-12 Jan 2026
  • British Youth Championship South East Qualifiers 6-7th Feb 2026

Safety

We have have noticed a few incidents over the last few months, luckily there have been no injuries.  Whilst they have been dealt with at the time it is worth noting to everyone the following. 

  • Sword points must be kept down at all times when not fencing
  • NEVER point a sword at anyone who is not wearing safety equipment
  • Correct equipment conforming to BF regulations (https://www.britishfencing.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Safety-Guidelines-2025.pdf) and of an appropriate size must be worn at all times when fencing; non-slip footwear must be worn
  • Before starting play, check your own equipment and that of opponent – make sure it is done up, correctly worn and check the blade (no sharp bends, tip covered)
  • Make sure you fence in an area clear of obstruction, hazard and other fencers. Make sure that during movement your play keeps clear of them
  • The play area must be kept clear of spare equipment and bags
  • If a blade breaks stop immediately, shout ‘STOP’, cease all fencing
  • Warn your partner if you wish to stop (hazard, sneeze, etc) raise your non-sword hand and say ‘Stop Please’
  • DO NOT remove your mask until play has ceased and it is safe to do so
  • Violent play is dangerous and against the rules of combat

Courses & Private Tuition

Beginners Course

Our next adult (14+) course will start on 24th September. If you have any friends who’d like to try fencing, have them get in touch or sign up using the form found here https://www.lewesfencingclub.org.uk/sign-up-for-our-next-course-for-adults-or-taster-session-for-the-younger-ones/.

Indigo Course

26th-29th October At the Davison Centre in Worthing, details are up on the door.

Whilst 1 to 1 & group coaching is available during club free of charge, Lewis is available for extra tuition between 8-9am and 12-1pm. To discuss availability and rates please call him on 07802 684 104 .

Christmas Social (Advance Notice)

Nothing has been finalised at present but our hope is that our Christmas social will be on 14th December, which is also the last Minis session before the Christmas break. Venue yet to be announced.

We look forward to seeing you all soon.

Ashley, Claire, Della, Gavin, Gordon, Jo, Lewis, and Simon The LFC Committee