2026 BYC Regional Qualifier - Scotland East

What are the BYC Regional Qualifiers? The BYC Regional Qualifiers determine who will be invited to the British Youth Championships Finals, which run from the 2 to 4 May 2026 at the English Institute of Sport. As yet, British Fencing have not released a schedule of events.

 What are the BYCs? The British Youth Championships are competitions at under 12, 14, 16 and 18 held every year in Sheffield (English Institute of Sport, S9 5DA), to identify British Champions.

 Who can compete? Eligibility is through Regional Qualifying Events (RQEs) – typically, each region is invited send a minimum of 8 for each event.

 What is our region and how does qualification work? Fencers who train in Edinburgh Fencing Club, Edinburgh Sabre Club, Dunedin Fencing Club, George Watsons Fencing Club, Livingston Fencing Club, Salle Holyrood, Sancroft Blades and West Lothian Fencing Club are in Scotland East (this list is not exhaustive). There will not be an actual event because running a competition is expensive (venue, referees and so on.) and there are not usually enough entrants for each event to justify a competition. Previously, regions could send a minimum of 8 fencers for each event so it’s usually automatic qualification if you enter. Should a category have more entrants than usual, we can organise an event in one of the clubs.

British Fencing impose a levy on regions for everyone who enters the qualification event, so we have to charge £12.50 entry fee even though there is no competition – British Fencing will take most or all of this! It is also possible that the BF levy will be higher, and an addition charged for qualification.

 What happens if I qualify? The organiser sends the contact details of all the Scotland East qualifiers to British Fencing, and at some stage British Fencing invite the qualifiers to enter the National Finals (there is another entry fee). The event involves travel to the venue and probably a night in a hotel.

 What will the event be like? It’s a huge collection of 24 competitions (boys (mixed)/girls, foil/epée/sabre, U12/U14/U16/U18), there are many entries and the standard varies from near beginner to some very experienced athletes!

 What should I do if I want to take part? It’s easy! Contact Don McKenzie and pay the £12.50 entry fee then wait until British Fencing get in touch with an invitation to enter the finals on Sport80.

The closing date for entries is Midnight on Saturday 28th February.

Then you go to the event, fence your best and have fun!

 Enter/Any questions? Contact Don on 07732 781464 or don.a.mckenzie@btinternet.com

Free Fencing Classes - Salle Holyrood

A group of young children, boys and girls demonstrating a fencing stance, a lunge, with coaches in the background

Salle Holyrood are delighted to be offering some new classes for 2026.

Starting from mid January they are offering 4-week blocks of FREE taster sessions for their local community.

These will be at their new venue at 1 West Bowling Green Street, Edinburgh, EH6 5NX

Sign up to these classes here

Friday 16th January, 1.15-2.15pm for 4 weeks:

FREE Community Session for 8-12 year olds completely new to fencing.

and

Monday, 19th January, 5.45-7pm for 4 weeks:

FREE Girls Only Session for 8-14 year olds for all abilities.

2026 Hot Top Calls - Safeguarding and Welfare

Scottish Fencing is hosting new, essential hot topic calls in the coming months. These are short informal sessions on-line and will cover important guidelines on keeping young people safe and how clubs can uphold young people's rights.

One topic is how to communicate with members, particularly younger fencers, safely. Are you using WhatsApp? Spond? Teamstack? if so, how are you keeping your younger members safe from issues such as bullying or inappropriate contact from adults and your coaches safe from allegations? This call is also about clubs sharing their good practice and what they have found works. Welfare Officers and anyone contacting club members regularly should attend this essential session, but is open to anyone with an interest.

The second topic is on the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child (UNCRC), which was incorporated into Scottish law in 2024. Does your club know what rights are enshrined in this convention? For example, does your club uphold the right of a child to choose the club and coach they train with? And to train at multiple clubs and with different coaches if they choose? What other practices does your club have that upholds the UNCRC? Please join these calls to learn not only how to improve your club's culture for young people and to share your club's good practice, but also how to keep your club’s practices compliant with the law. This session is essential for Welfare Officers and should be of interest to committee members as well. 

Dates:
16 February 6pm - UNCRC
21 February 10am - Good communication
8 March 10am - UNCRC
10 March 6pm - Good Communication

All Welcome, sign up to hot topic calls here

2026 Scottish Fencing AGM

The Annual General Meeting of Scottish Fencing Ltd will take place on 20 January 2026 via Zoom. All paid members aged over the age of 16 are entitled to attend and vote.

Papers for this meeting are listed below with links to each document.

Agenda

Minutes of 2024 AGM - for approval

Accounts to 31 March 2025 - to follow

Special Resolution - Recruitment of Directors

Please register attendance in advance of the meeting. We will send a meeting link to all members who register to attend on the afternoon of the 20 January. Please register by noon 19 January 2026.

Attendance register for SF AGM 2026.

If you are unable to attend but would like a representative or proxy to vote on your behalf you must complete the Proxy Voting Form. You must submit this form must by 6.30pm on 18 January 2026.

2025 Veteran Worlds Championships - Women's Sabre

Some results from the Women’s Sabre at the 2025 World Veteran Championships:

Sylvia Brown in fencing attire standing in front of a large wall mural with the dae and mural for the FIE Veteran Fencing World Championships

GB 70 Women’s sabre cat 4

The four ladies representing GB 70 Women's Sabre Cat 4 were magical Jenny Morris, lovely Linda Green, light-footed Louise Walker and smashing Silvia Brown.

The poules were a mixed bag which saw Louise go through as top Brit in 7 position and Silvia close behind in 10. It was, however, Silvia who put in a great performance to put out Louise in the last 16. Japanese second seed Amari proved too strong for Silvia in the last 8, leaving her in 8 position overall. 

Silvia trains with Sancroft Blades in Linlithgow.

Grand Veterans Women's Sabre Team

five GB women sabreurs in GB tracksuits showing their bronze medals with Scot michelle narey first on the left and the second scot in the team Sylvia Brown standing next to her

GRand veterans women’s sabre team

The GB team were joyful Jane Hutchison, jazzy Jenny Morris, stupendous Silvia Brown, magnificent Michele Narey and lively Louise Walker.

The first match was against Australia who were really tough cookies, but not good enough to trouble our girls who won 45-41.

Next up was the semi-finals against the USA who didn't get off to a good start, but who put in a great shift in the middle legs to pull ahead and win 45-30. In the bronze medal match against Japan there was no way our girls were going to accept anything but a victory and they stormed through to win 45-25.

A bronze medal for our Grand Veteran Womens Sabre Team!

Well done ladies!.

Coach Tom Sorbie Reaches 50 Year Milestone!

A snippet from a local newspaper, with text and images of fencers in their kit.

Fencing coach Tom Sorbie realised to his surprise that this year marks an impressive 50 years as a coach. 

 

Seventy-eight-year-old Tom started fencing in 1973. He stumbled upon the sport when he went to join a badminton club and was told that there was a fencing club on instead. Tom decided to give it a go, and he has never looked back.

Tom recalls that in the 1970s there were few fencing coaches and it was not easy to get coaching in the sport. He decided to attend a residential coaching course at the National Sports Training Centre.

 

In 1975 Tom became a coach at Bellahouston Fencing Club in Glasgow. By 2004, he had also  joined the coaching team at newly started club Blades of Fire in Newton Mearns.

Tom was a successful fencing competitor, winning the West of Scotland Men’s Foil Novice competition in his first year, and also several silver medals in the West of Scotland Foil and Epee Championships, and bronze twice in Scottish Junior Sabre. He fenced for the West of Scotland in the Intersection Competitions, and he was part of the Scottish Sabre Training Squad.

Unfortunately, an injury put an end to Tom’s competitive fencing. He continued to fence at club level, however, and he can still give young competitive fencers a challenging time. 

Over the years Tom has helped to develop a number of fencers who went on to reach international standard. He has also run many taster sessions and after-school clubs. In 1988 Tom was presented with the Roger Crosnier Memorial Award for coaching achievement. 

 

Asked to comment on his 50 years of dedication to coaching the sport of fencing, Tom said: “Time passes quickly when you are enjoying yourself”.

LGBTIQ+ Fencing with LEAP Sports

LEAP Sports are Scotland’s LGBTIQ+ sports charity. A number of their community projects have recently tried fencing.

 

Get Out Glasgow, a project which aims to provide pathways into sport and physical activity for LGBTIQ+ adults, collaborated with Bellahouston Fencing Club to run a fencing taster session, followed by a 4 week course that finished on Tuesday. Participants enjoyed learning the basic skills and techniques required for fencing, and finding out more about the sport in an inclusive and encouraging environment. Some participants gave the following feedback:

 

‘Well organised and really fun! The teacher Tom was great at making fencing accessible for us all’

 

‘It's lovely that Get Out Glasgow offer 4 week courses allowing you to get a good taste of the sport and determine if you want to pick up long term.’

The courses with Get Out Glasgow are very well-organised and worthwhile attending, benefitting both my mental and physical health. They are a good opportunity to try out different sports / activities that I wouldn't normally be able to and to meet others from the LGBTIQ+ community.’


People with fencing kit on taking part in the sport

Trans Active Edinburgh, a project for trans and non-binary adults, also ran a fencing taster session in June with Dunedin Fencing Club ahead of the club’s annual Pride Beginners Course. Three participants continued onto the beginners course:

‘This was huge fun, and I'm really keen to do more of it. I'm now signing up to the beginners' course with my partner’

‘Thank you so much for organising this, I really enjoyed learning to fence, and the games at the end’

Two people with fencing kit on preparing to fight.

Young LGBTIQ+ people in Glasgow have been giving the sport a go as well. The LLAMAS youth sports group offered 13-17-year-olds the chance to try fencing in a 5-week block in October 2024 with Braveheart Fencing Club, also known as Glasgow Epeeists. Following this, LEAP’s Family Group for gender diverse children and their families did a one-off taster of fencing this October with the same club. Young people and their families were excited by the sport and appreciated the chance to try it.

 

Every June LEAP Sports also runs Festival Fortnight, Scotland’s national LGBTIQ+ sports festival, which has included events run by Dunedin Fencing Club, Elgin Duelist Fencing Club, Dundee Fencing Club, as well as swordfighting with the Renaissance Martial Arts Society.

 

Lindsay from Elgin Duelist Fencing Club wrote a blog for LGBT History Month sharing what being part of an inclusive fencing club has meant to her:

 

‘When the rest of my world seemed to see me as not worth considering…at fencing I could forget it and just be me. It’s what made realising that I was bisexual so much easier. I had these feelings, they were real and valid, but even if I was worried or upset about them, fencing would help me forget for 90 minutes every Thursday night.’

 

You can read her blog here.

 

If you’d like to run an event as part of Festival Fortnight 2026 please contact info@leapsports.org. Grant applications will open in April 2026.

2025 Veteran World Championships -Scottish competitiors

Good luck to the Scots Fencing at the Veterans World Championships in Manama, Bahrain 10 - 20 November.

The Scottish fencers competing are:

The defending World Champions

Sheila Anderson (Ladies Foil) 2025 and Georgina Usher (Women’s Epee 2023 and 2024)

Scottish Fencers competing in their first World Championships for those in the 40 - 49 age group are Louise Dawson (Ladies Foil) Roz Graham (Women’s Sabre), Mo Mansoori (Men’s Sabre) and Paul Stanbridge (Men’s Foil). Linda Green (Women’s Sabre) is also competing with a last minute call up.

Nick Mort is competing in the Men’s Foil in the 50 - 59 age group

Competing in the 60 – 69 age group are:

Karen Grant, Hugh Kernohan and Maggie Tait, epee, and Michele Narey, Sabre

In the 70+ age group Sylvia Brown, Sabre, World Champion 2019

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