Hello, with Christmas a dim memory and rain always on the horizon, what things do we have for you to look forward to?
🗓️ New Mini Term (9:00–10:00am)
Dates: 22nd February – 29th March (6 weeks) Fee: £48 for the full term
👉 Fees are payable via the website: https://www.lewesfencingclub.org.uk/purchase/
Advance Notice:
The following term will run for 6 weeks from 12th April.
đź•’ All Other Sessions (Unchanged)
Sunday: 10:00am–12:00pm (Fencers) Wednesday: 7:00pm–9:00pm (Fencers)
Please note: We will be closed for all fencers on Sunday, 5th April (Easter Sunday).
🏆 Competitions
BYC Qualifiers – Early February
Well done to everyone who competed — the standard this year was extremely high, with 290 competitors across all six weapons.
Results:
| Men’s Épée U12 Eli – 8th (Qualified) Men’s Épée U14 Vincent – 11th (Qualified) Men’s Épée U16 Fintan L – 22nd | Women’s Épée U14 Ella C – 2nd (Qualified) Women’s Épée U16 Simin S – 13th | Men’s Épée U18 Harrison B – 5th (Qualified) Alex LH – 9th (Qualified) Alex T – 20th Zedd S – 24th Alfred J – 26th Toby B – 30th |
| Women’s Épée U18 Antonia B – 7th (Qualified) |
Congratulations to everyone who qualified for the main BYC event — a fantastic achievement.
đź“… Upcoming Competitions
| South East Region Senior Épée – 7th March Elite Épée Junior Series (Surrey U10, U12, U14, U17) – 11th–12th April Elite Épée Senior Series (Surrey) – 11th–12th April Sussex County Junior Age Groups – 18th April | British Youth Championships – 2nd–5th May (for qualifiers) Elite Épée Junior Series (and U14 BRC) – 27th–28th June Cocks Moor Woods – 15th November Sussex Open – 21st–22nd November |
Entries via Sport:80
đź‘© Women & Girls Open Morning – 8th March – EVENT to promote please
Tell your friends! Della and the coaching team will be hosting a drop-in “come and try” morning. A great opportunity to introduce someone new to fencing.
🏋 Additional Training
Indigo 3-Day Training Course 7th–9th April
Attend for 1, 2 or all 3 days. Full details and booking information are available on the Kit Room door.
đź‘• Club Kit
We still have club t-shirts available. Please speak to Della or Gordon if you’d like one.
đź“‹ AGM Highlights
Thank you to everyone who attended the AGM. Here are the key updates:
Chair’s Report
- 106 fencers attended at least one session during the year.
- Overall membership numbers remain similar to 12 months ago, though individual groups fluctuate.
- The 9:00–10:00am group is thriving, with 3 coaches and 1 trainee coach supporting around 12 students (plastic and metal weapons).
- The 10:00am–12:00pm session can sometimes feel quieter due to university leavers and fencers competing nationally and internationally.
The Christmas social was unfortunately cancelled, but we hope to run a summer event — possibly somewhere new.
We remain one of the largest clubs in East Sussex. However, recruitment and retention continue to be an ongoing challenge.
Courses & Tasters
- 6–13 year-old taster sessions are performing well.
- Adult courses are harder to fill — we may need to improve follow-up when people enquire.
Plans for the Coming Year
- Explore electric plastic kit for 6–10-year-olds
- Improve recruitment
- Increase competition participation
- Upgrade and maintain club kit
Our kit is ageing. Simon does a fantastic job maintaining the technical equipment. White kit requires more care — the better we all look after it, the longer it will last.
Thank you to the parents who helped with repairs last year.
Treasurer’s Report
Balances at 31st July:
| 2022: ÂŁ6,673 2023: ÂŁ5,714 2024: ÂŁ4,866 | 2025: ÂŁ4,355 2026 (part year): ÂŁ5,845 |
The recent fee increase has stabilised finances and put us back on a sustainable footing. Maintaining a healthy balance ensures we can respond to equipment needs or rule changes requiring major purchases, as example, just replacing one scoring box could cost us ÂŁ1000.
Coaches & Competitions Report
- 35% of fencers competed at least once last year
- 4 regular fencers were selected for the GBR teams
- We now have:
- 3 active coaches
- 2 trainee coaches
- 2 additional qualified coaches who step in when needed
One coach has offered to increase their involvement.
🙏 Thank You
The club would not exist without its members — but special thanks go to:
| Simon – Armourer Claire – Treasurer &  Safeguarding (support) Jo – Safeguarding Lewis – Head Coach | Della – Coach Brian – Coach Toby & Alex – Trainee Coaches Dom – Sunday set-up hero |
🙌 We Need Your Help
The club is always grateful for additional support. Here are a few ways you could help:
Session Setup & Pack-down
More helpers mean less work for everyone.
Webmaster
Help us modernise and refresh our WordPress website.
Course Administration
Support with course bookings and maintaining a steady intake across age groups.
Parents’ Representative
Act as a friendly point of contact during sessions while coaches and committee members are busy.
If you can help in any capacity, please speak to one of the committee members.
Ashley, Claire, Della, Gordon, Lewis and Simon.
The LFC Committee