Kindly written by Alison Melville Sadly Scottish Fencing, and in particular Central Section, lost another stalwart when Andy Kettles died at the beginning of March. I first met Andy when he started fencing at Stirling Fencing Club in 1994.  From being an enthusiastic beginner Andy soon blossomed, winning the Scottish Novices (for adults) at both Foil and Sabre.  Later he collected the Scottish Intermediate Foil trophy and also triumphed furth of Scotland when he was 3rd in the Northern Ireland Open.  Andy was not shy of hard work and was often found at the beginning and end of c ..read more

Great Performance at the Veterans Age Groups in Nottingham in April Congratulations to everyone who fenced in Nottingham last weekend with a special mention to those who returned with medals. Our success is predominantly in Categories 3 and 4, we would like to encourage all 40 and 50 years olds to start or re-engage with fencing and join the competition circuit. Veterans are a friendly and supportive group. Gold Julian Ghosh – Edinburgh - MS Category 3 Vivien Frith – Shakespeare’s Swords - WS Category 4 Karen Grant – West Fife – WE Category 3 Hugh Kernohan – Salle Paul – ME Category 3 Andrew B ..read more

Following on from the communication around the strategic review and planning process. Read the previous article The first opportunity to have your voice heard is through our engagement survey below. The survey aims to gather initial data around how the current strategic framework (Vision, Mission and Values) resonates with everyone and also start to build a picture of what people like and what could be done differently. The current strategy is available here This will allow you to review the Vision, Mission and Values ahead of completing the survey. There is also an option to sign up to be par ..read more

Developing active engagement in fencing through fun fencing events for younger fencers. Edinburgh Sabre Club is a relatively new club started in October 2021, a year later George Watson’s College restarted their fencing club with P6 and P7 year groups being the first new cohorts into the club. Still coming out of lockdown there were very few competitions or events for the new fencers to engage in to get a feel for fencing. With around 70 fencers between the two groups most of whom were in primary school and under 13 there were no Edinburgh based competitions or events from June to January on ..read more

A Foil weapon training camp in Scotland, which attracts fencers from around the world as well as our own GB internationalists at all age groups. Led by GB coach, Keith Cook, be prepared to learn, be inspired and have fun. Single day bookings available. Saturday 27th July to Wednesday 31st July 2024 @ St George’s School, Edinburgh For more information — CLICK HERE ..read more

We are less than six months away from one of the highlights of the Scottish fencing calendar, the UKs most northerly ranked competition - The Highland Open! This year the event will take place over the weekend of 28th & 29th September 2024! This year promises to be even better, more memorable than last year and we hope to see the Scottish fencing community out in force once more. Saturday 28th September - Epee and Sabre, Sunday 29th September - Foil For more information contact Robin Paterson: robinandlinda1@yahoo.com Further update will be provided in due course ..read more

Our current strategic funding cycle with sportscotland will come to an end on 31st March 2025. After that point we will enter the cycle aligned to the LA Olympics/Paralympics in 2028. Scottish Fencing alongside many other sports will be invited to attend a sportscotland funding panel in October time this year to review what has happened over the past 3 years and to present what the journey will look like for the LA funding cycle. Based on this sportscotland will decide what funding support each sport will receive. It is therefore important for us to understand how the Scottish Fencing Strategi ..read more

Our newly appointed Chief Operating Officer/Head of Pathways, Alan Martin started his new role this week and has spent time meeting with the staff, board and partners.  “It’s great to be back working in Fencing and I’m looking forward to meeting with members and clubs and getting as much engagement as we can, I’m sure there will be some familiar faces and some new ones as well. If you want to contact me at any point please do reach out.  It’s an exciting time to be starting as we are coming into the planning phase for the new strategic cycle which will start on 1st April 2025, captu ..read more

Congratulations to all the fencers who took part in this years 2024 Scottish Youth Championships. For some this was their first event so well done in taking that first step in competitive fencing. Before we list the results a big thank you to all the volunteers from Sancroft Blades who supported the event. to all the volunteer referees and to the parents who cheered on their fencers. Thanks also to Leon Paul Scotland for bringing their equipment stand. You can find full results for the 2024 SYCs here ..read more

Scottish Fencing is sad to announce the loss of another member of the fencing community. Andrew Kettles passed away on Saturday 2 March. For those that knew Andy there is a Celebration of his life at Stirling Crematorium 22 March at 11am followed by a reception at Tillicoultry Golf Club. Mandy and Calum, Clair and Eilidh have asked for this to be shared so that those who knew Andy as a fencer and who have maybe lost touch can join the family in remembering and celebrating Andy’s life. All are welcome ..read more