Phew! It’s been hot, hasn’t it? The weather looks like it’s about to change though, so this Sunday should be fine. But now that the summer months are here, please don’t forget to bring a drink to sessions — and if you need a break during a warm-up or class, please just take one.
British Fencing hot weather guidelines: https://www.britishfencing.com/fencing-in-hot-weather-guideline-reminder-2026/
🗓️ NEW MINI TERM (9:00–10:00am)
Dates: 31st May – 12th July (7 weeks) Fee: £56 for the full term
👉 Fees are payable via the website: https://www.lewesfencingclub.org.uk/purchase/
🕒 ALL OTHER SESSIONS (Unchanged)
Sunday: 10:00am–12:00pm Wednesday: 7:00pm–9:00pm
SAFETY AND KIT USAGE — Please Read
Our Armourer, Simon, has been working hard over the past few weeks to keep our kit in good condition. Here are five simple things you can do to help Simon and the club:
- Tip Screws — When fencing for the first time each week (or more often if possible), check that your tip has two screws. Missing screws lead to lost tips. Did you know you can receive a yellow card at a competition for arriving at the piste with a missing tip screw? Make it a habit to check regularly.
- Loose Handle — If your handle or guard is loose, get it tightened as soon as possible. If you’re in the middle of a match, stop and get it seen to. A loose handle or guard can very easily cut one or both of the wires running through the guard, resulting in a full wire replacement and taking the weapon out of service for several sessions. At one point, we had just three right-handed épées available for the whole club.
- Plugs and Sockets — Whether connecting a spool wire or a body wire, always pull the plug itself when disconnecting — not the wire going into it.
- Spool Wire Return — After finishing and disconnecting your body wire, please don’t let the spool wire go from the middle of the piste. Walk it back to the end so it doesn’t whip back into the spool with too much force.
- Neighbouring Piste Awareness — When fencing next to another piste, please be mindful of what your neighbours are doing. This is especially important with the wireless kit. We frequently see people getting very close to fencers on an adjacent piste, often without a mask. If you need to retrieve something from the middle of the piste — a wifi pack or a drink — wait for your neighbours to pause and then move quickly. If you’re one of the neighbouring fencers and spot an issue, halt your match and, where space allows, move away from the adjacent piste to create a safe buffer.
🏆 COMPETITION RESULTS
Sussex Juniors
| Category | Name | Result |
| U10 Mixed | Arvin | 🥇 Gold |
| U12 Mixed | Ivan | 🥇 Gold |
| U12 Ladies | Maja | 🥇 Gold |
| U14 Mixed | Vincent | 🥈 Silver |
| U14 Mixed | Artie | 4th |
| U14 Mixed | Oscar | 5th |
| U16 Mixed | Fintan | 🥉 Bronze |
| U16 Ladies | Simi | 🥈 Silver |
| U18 Mixed | Oscar | 🥇 Gold |
| U18 Mixed | Fabian | 🥈 Silver |
| U18 Mixed | Tobi | 🥉 Bronze |
| U18 Ladies | Antonina | 🥇 Gold |
Well done to everyone who took part — a fantastic set of results!
We’ve been a little remiss in tracking our adult competitors, but Bob, Dom, and Harrison have all been competing at various events across the UK. A special mention to Tom for his Silver at the Bristol Open — brilliant result!
📅 UPCOMING COMPETITIONS
Hot off the press — not yet confirmed or open for booking:
• 11th July — Junior Teams, Burgess Hill
• 11th July — Novice Adult*, Burgess Hill
• 18th July (possibly 19th) — Adult Teams, Moulscombe (very provisional — date and location may change)
* A novice is defined by British Fencing as someone who has fenced for less than two years and has not placed (1st, 2nd or 3rd) at any open or major competition.
Confirmed:
• Sussex Open — 21st–22nd November, Burgess Hill Entries via Sport:80
COURSES
Della has just completed our first-ever women-only course, which grew out of the ‘Try Fencing’ morning we held for International Women’s Day. We look forward to seeing those participants return over the coming weeks. Our next beginners’ course will run after the summer, in September or early October.
If you love fencing, or are interested in UCAS points (72!), and were born before 2014 then please speak to a coach about joining British Fencing’s Pathway! Applications open in July and give you 12 days of free BF training camps. https://www.britishfencing.com/gbr-pathway-programme-zone/joining-the-pathway/
PHOTOGRAPHER
Two Sundays ago we welcomed Suz, a photographer working with Women in Sport, who are running a feature on female coaches. While her focus was on action shots of Della and Alice, she also captured some general club photos that we’ll be able to use. We’re not yet certain what usage restrictions may apply, but we know the images won’t be available until after the feature has been published — we’ll keep you posted.
👕 CLUB KIT
We still have club T-shirts available. Please speak to Della or Gordon if you’d like one.
SUMMER SOCIAL
Our summer social will be on 12th July, straight after club as usual. If you know of anywhere in Lewes that could accommodate us for food, please let us know and we’ll make contact.
🙌 WE NEED YOUR HELP
The club is always grateful for additional support. Here are a few ways you could get involved:
• Session Setup & Pack-down — More helpers means 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 occupied.
If you can help in any capacity, please speak to one of the committee members.
Claire, Della, Gordon, Lewis and Simon
The LFC Committee