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 defencing 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)

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

SF Club Project Fund Report - Dunedin Fencing Club

Women and Girls Club Development Fund Project Report

Women and girls face higher barriers to accessing sport with significantly lower rates of participation than men and boys. While participation is similar in pre-puberty groups, it drops significantly for girls during adolescence. This contributes to consistent gender imbalances in sports clubs and a sports industry that disproportionately favours men, reinforcing the bias in the sector.

Though Dunedin Fencing Club has achieved an equal gender balance in participants, (45% female and 5% non-binary) as well as with our coaches (3 male, 3 female), we continue to strive to improve engagement with women and girls. The key objectives of our Women and Girls project fall under three categories: Recruit, Retain and Train.

We received £405 funding from Scottish Fencing to:

• Train 1 additional female coach

• Run 3 subsidised taster sessions with guides groups in Edinburgh, reaching 60 girls

• Roll out mentorship programme across the club, assign 10 students to 5 mentors using Sportmember system

In addition to these objectives, our broader goals are:

Recruit

• Run a women and non-binary beginners course.

• Form partnerships with women's support organisations to offer fencing taster sessions.

• Run additional active schools classes.

Retain

• Promote full metal fencing classes to active schools groups.

• Run an interclub Women and NB fencing event.

• Run a club social after our beginners course and taster to bond new members together.

Train

• Run a coach development day with half price entry for women and non-binary participants

• Provide training for our existing coaches on working with women in sport.

Outcomes

Train 1 additional female coach

• One female coach attended the coach ed training session on 22nd/23rd March (further funded by Scottish Fencing) and started first aid and CWPS training.

• One female coach started her first aid and CWPS training and is now awaiting a coach ed course.

• The grant did not cover all costs and the Club contributed additional funds.

• Objective exceeded - 2 new coaches supported.

Run 3 subsidised taster sessions with guides groups in Edinburgh, reaching 60 girls

• We ran 3 taster sessions with 156th, 125th and 215th Guides in Edinburgh introducing 25, 10 and 19 girls respectively to fencing. The total attendees was 54, falling just short of the target of 60.

• The feedback from the sessions was very positive and we provided a discount to all participants to join a beginners course in the coming year.

• Objective partially met - Three sessions delivered, slightly under attendee target.

Roll out a mentorship programme across the club, assign 10 students to 5 mentors using Sportmember system

• We did not find a way to integrate how we wanted to run our mentorship system with Sportmember. Instead we created a spreadsheet tool to allocate and track pairings and record historic mentorships.

• There was reluctance from our targeted mentors to engage as they had questions and concerns about what the scheme would mean for them. In consultation with potential mentors and mentees we created a mentorship guidance document to make it clear for volunteer mentors what the role entailed and what mentees were expected to do.

• We have 7 mentors and 10 mentees allocated in the club.

• We have two girls in the mentor scheme who are now pursuing competitive fencing.

• Objective exceeded. Target for mentees met, more mentors recruited than expected.

While not all targets were fully met within the short timeframe, for example coaching qualifications are still in progress, we successfully launched coach development and mentoring pathways that will have long-term impact.

The connections we’ve built with Girl Guides Edinburgh will allow us to run future taster sessions with them and with more time to coordinate activities, we hope to draw more girls into the club from our taster sessions.

Further Development Work

With more time to prepare and timeline activities, I think we could have a greater impact from this type of short term funding. Ideally, we would have had more time to distribute leaflets, marketing and partnership building in advance of a group specific beginners course. Having got the general principles in place, a future round of similar activities could have a greater impact.

We will also continue to work on the activities we have not yet started or delivered and to continue to champion women and girls in our club. In particular, a coach development day prioritising women coaches would both strengthen our team and highlight the contributions of our female leaders.

We would like to express our thanks to Scottish Fencing, particularly Daniel Baker, for their support in running this project and others at the start of 2025.

SF Club Project Fund Report - Shetland Fencing Club

Women and Girls Participation in Fencing

Shetland Fencing Club, with help of a grant awarded via Scottish Fencing, prioritised increasing the participation of women and girls in fencing this year.

Whilst a good working relationship with Active Schools in Shetland has resulted in healthy numbers of kids taking up fencing at the club, it has been noticed over the last few seasons that the number of girls and women joining the club has diminished.

Project Aims:

• Publicise fencing as an ideal sport for general fitness for girls in schools. Active Schools are ideally suited to support this.

• Running girls-only taster sessions on Saturday mornings and after school. Initial attendees were encouraged to be involved with further publicity by producing their own posters and talking to school staff.

• Providing new female specific kit, including club coloured training tops.

• Hiring extra Hall space and time to run female only sessions.

• Encouraging women (over 18’s) to take up fencing targeting those attending gym classes etc in local sports centres. Sessions benefitting existing fencers and non-fencers to be developed as ‘fence fit’ circuit training, based on well-tried ‘box fit’ sessions.

Results:

Overall, the grant has been split evenly between extra hall hire and new fencing kit to specifically cover female requirements/size etc. for our target groups. Publicity has cost, in effect, nothing by utilising existing club admin, using Active Schools and by involving the girls themselves in designing follow up publicity.

• A significant increase in girls taking up fencing. 9 girls aged between 9 and 12 have come through the taster sessions to become full members of the club.

• The girls, having started roughly at the same time, have formed a group who have organised themselves well, collectively increasing their enjoyment and competitiveness at the club.  All have gone on to fence with full kit on electric scoring in a very short time and are participating in our recreational competitions.

• We have found that utilising the new girl members in determining how to encourage more girls into the sport, - assisting in school holiday sessions and designing posters etc. is likely to result in even more girls taking up fencing.

• We have found that raising the profile of women and girls in fencing has resulted in 2 women returning to the club after long lay-offs from fencing.

• Encouraging women to take up fencing is a bigger challenge, and the fence-fit sessions are now planned for the autumn when more women would be thinking of winter indoor activities.

• Realising the challenge of getting adults to take up, or return to more activity, especially women, has resulted in scheduling family sessions in ‘multi sport’ days held in the rural sports centres, in the school holidays.

Feedback and follow up

When asked the girls joining the club were more likely to come along to girl only sessions, worrying otherwise they would be much outnumbered..

• The girls starting together as a group clearly progress better all round.

• Having role models in the club and it doesn’t always have to be a performance fencer.

Follow up:

To continue offering girl only taster sessions as this appears to be preferable for girls. This isn’t a problem once in the club as male / females fence naturally together.

To develop novel ways of increasing participation of women. Presenting fencing as a fun way to keep fit, without fully taking up fencing is a good ‘stand alone’ way of offering fitness as well as highlighting the benefits of fencing.

Shetland Fencing Club is looking forward to continuing to provide and support more women and girls to get involved in fencing in Shetland. The club would like to thank Scottish Fencing for the grant and their ongoing support for the club.

Fencing Edinburgh

Whether you’re already part of a fencing club or curious to try this extraordinary sport, we’ve got something for you.

From beginner classes to one to-one coaching and competitive squad training, our programme give you the quality time and support you need to progress.

We’re especially focused on student-athletes and senior and veteran competitive fencers, but anyone with the passion to pick up a sword is welcome.

For more details check out the Fencing Edinburgh brochure below

Fencing Edinburgh Brochure

SF Club Project Fund Report - Salle Ossian Fencing Club

Empowering Young Women Through Fencing 

Our project successfully delivered a 12-week program aimed at empowering young women through fencing and fitness. This included weekly fencing and strength & conditioning sessions, complemented by nutritional workshops. We focused on creating a supportive and inclusive environment, and the feedback from participants strongly indicates an enhancement in physical and mental well-being, increased confidence, and a growing interest in sport.

Our key objectives were to:

•  Increase female participation in fencing and fitness activities.

•  Improve physical fitness and overall health among young women.

•  Enhance mental well-being and reduce stress levels.

•  Develop essential life skills such as discipline, focus, and teamwork.

•  Create a supportive and inclusive community for young women.

 We believe we have made significant progress on all these objectives, as evidenced by participant feedback and our internal observations.

• Weekly training sessions: We consistently delivered weekly sessions, effectively combining fencing instruction with strength and conditioning exercises. These sessions were well-attended and structured to cater to varying skill levels. This squad ran at 10.00am which was followed at 1100 for beginners session 1200 for video analysis and lunch then from 1300 to 1500 hours performance fencing.

• Dedicated female-only facilities: We successfully redecorated and designated a private toilet and a communal relaxation space for participants, contributing to a more comfortable and inclusive environment.

• Partnership with Live Active Schools: While initially planned, we only managed to attend two schools which allowed 300 pupils to have taster sessions in plastic fencing this was mixed male and female. 

They were then invited to attend a couple of free sessions at the Salle during the Easter holidays. This is also extended to all Perth and Kinross schools to a free training between 10-12 in the week of 7th -10th July. 

Alignment with Active Scotland Outcomes

• Participate, progress & achieve: The program provided a structured pathway for young women to engage in fencing and fitness. Participant feedback like "It's taught me ways to fence better that I wouldn't learn just fencing at the club" and "I want to get better and compete in competitions" clearly demonstrates progress and a desire to achieve personal goals. The establishment of "Girl Squad" fostered a unique environment for focused development.

• Wellbeing & resilience: The project significantly promoted mental and physical well-being. Participants joined for "fitness reasons" and found the S&C sessions "more lively." The supportive, female-only environment helped reduce stress and build resilience, with one participant noting the desire to "show support to younger girls as older boys can be intimidating."

• Physical confidence & competence: Through consistent fencing training, participants developed increased physical confidence and competence. One participant highlighted, "Because it's built up more confidence fencing people with similar techniques." Parental feedback also noted "a definite improvement in her confidence in fencing."

• Inclusion: A core of our project was inclusion, and participant feedback strongly supports its success. Reasons for joining included "I wanted to be able to fence with just girls who fenced similar to me" and to "build a senior girls team," highlighting the positive impact of a dedicated female-only space for fostering a sense of belonging and comfort.

Participant Feedback

We collected valuable feedback from the young women who participated in the "Girl Squad" program. Here's a summary of their insights:

 Why did you join Girl Squad?

•  “Because my brother fences on Saturdays and I thought I'd also like to."

•  "Fitness reasons."

•  "To show support to younger girls as older boys can be intimidating to them."

•  "I wanted to fence with people with similar styles."

•  "I wanted to be able to fence with just girls who fenced similar to me."

•  "I joined the girl squad to build a senior girls team." 

Do you feel more likely to participate in fencing or fitness activities in future because of the program?

•  "For S&C it makes a difference (more lively) but for fencing it sometimes makes a difference."

•  "It's taught me ways to fence better that I wouldn't learn just fencing at the club."

•  "Because it's built up more confidence fencing people with similar techniques."

•  "I want to get better and compete in competitions."

Would you continue to attend Girl Squad if it were to continue?

•  All participants answered “Yes”

What could we do to improve your time at Girl Squad?

•  "Extend it another 30 mins for more fencing."

•  "Make sure not all sessions/lessons/games are catered towards beginners."

•  "More general fencing team matches or games like deal or no deal or similar would be nice."

•  "Possibly focus on different areas as every time someone new arrives we have to go over basics again."

Parental Feedback

We also gathered feedback from parents, which was overwhelmingly positive:

•  "I've noticed a definite improvement in her confidence in fencing."

•  "The timing of the sessions works great with the next fencing sessions on a Saturday."

Evaluation and Impact

Our evaluation plan included pre- and post-program surveys, fitness assessments, and participant feedback. The qualitative feedback presented above clearly demonstrates a positive impact on the girls

Overall Project Success and Learning

We consider the "Empowering Young Women Through Fencing and Fitness" project to be a significant success. The overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants and parents underscores the value of providing a dedicated, supportive, and inclusive environment for young women in sport.

 Key learnings from this project include:

•  The strong demand and positive impact of female-only sporting initiatives.

•  The importance of balancing introductory content with progression for more experienced participants.

•  The value of incorporating fun, team-based activities alongside technical training.

•  The potential for extending session lengths to allow for more dedicated fencing time.

We are incredibly grateful for the funding provided by Scottish Fencing, which made this impactful project possible. We believe this initiative has laid a strong foundation for increasing female participation in fencing and fostering a lifelong love of sport among young women.

Perth and Kinross Sports Council Grant Helps Salle Ossian Make Accessible Sword Seats

Thanks to a grant from the Perth and Kinross Sports Council, Salle Ossian Fencing Club is making sport more accessible for all.

The club has collaborated with the Stanley and District Men’s Shed to build the unique "sword seats"—portable benches that allow people with mobility issues to try fencing in a seated position.

The initiative aims to bring the benefits of sport to individuals who might not have considered it an option before. The new seats will be used by Salle Ossian to take fencing out into the community, providing a chance for people to engage with the sport and experience its physical and mental benefits, regardless of their mobility.

"We are incredibly grateful for the support from the Perth and Kinross Sports Council," said a spokesperson for Salle Ossian Fencing Club. "Working with the Stanley and District Men’s Shed has allowed us to turn this idea into a reality. The sword seats will be a game-changer, helping us reach new members and show that fencing is a sport for everyone."

The project highlights the power of community partnership, bringing together a local sports club and a community workshop to create a positive and lasting impact.

Scottish Fencing looks forward to hearing about Salle Ossian’s upcoming sessions using their sword seat.

Pathways 2025 - Sign Up

The Pathways Squad is a training programme for under 16s (fencers born 2010–2015) who want to take their next steps in the world of fencing.

You might be training at your club once a week and want to do more; or maybe you’re a competitive fencer looking to enhance your training and improve your performance. Our experienced coaches will meet each fencer at their own level, and help them move along their own personal pathway.

Over six training sessions, fencers will explore areas including maximising club training; preparing for events; drawing inspiration from the world’s best fencers; fencing under pressure; reflecting on performance; and strength and conditioning for fencing.

By working together, fencers will have the opportunity to make friends with other young people and connect with different coaches: creating strong bonds that will support them as they progress through the sport.

Sign up now: Pathways Sign-up Form.
 

Training dates (all Sundays, 10am–3:30pm):

• 5 October

• 9 November

• 14 December

• 11 January

• 22 February

• 15 March

• Contingency date (in case of session cancellation): 29 March

Venue

Forth Valley Fencing Club
Unit 7, 9 Munro Rd, Stirling FK7 7QX

Age groups

• U16 born in 2010 or 2011

• U14 born in 2012 or 2013

• U12 born in 2014 or 2015

Coaches

Foil: Stan Stoodley
Epee: Rob Blackburne
Sabre: Naomi Farmer

We’ll also be calling in experts from fields such as Strength and Conditioning and Sports Psychology – we’ll share more about them in the coming weeks.

If numbers are high we may also invite in other coaches to support with the sessions.

Cost

£170 for 6 sessions, payable either as a lump sum or in 6 monthly instalments of £28.33.
If you are keen to attend but the cost is too high, Scottish Fencing is pleased to be able to offer a limited number of subsidised spaces.

Please email Alan Martin to discuss in confidence: alan.martin@scottish-fencing.com

Sign up to Pathways

Sign up now: Pathways Sign-up Form.

Any questions?

Email Alan if you have any questions about the Pathways programme: alan.martin@scottish-fencing.com

Coach Education

The coach education weekend on 25/26 October 2025 will be taking place at Forth Valley Fencing Club:

Unit 7

9 Munro Road, Stirling

FK7 7QX

This weekend will include our new Level 1 assistant coach award. This course is aimed at those aged 16-18 or coaches over 18 that are just starting out. Under 16s are unable to receive the certificate until they are 16.

The new Level 2 course is also available.

The new courses have online content to complete pre and post course on the sportscotland Brightspace platform, support and assistance will be given as required.

When you sign up for the weekend we will also add you into a group on Basecamp so we can communicate arrangements and share any information about the weekend. It will also give you the opportunity to ask questions and interact with others that are signed up.

Level 2 candidates need to be 18 before receiving their certificate.

Thanks to subsidies from sportscotland and Scottish Fencing some candidates are able to access coach education for free or at a discounted rate. All we ask in return is for you to log 10 hours of voluntary coaching with your club or community.

Sign up for the October Weekend
 

Coaching U18s - Important information

If you are intending to work with under 18s we will not issue your certificate until you have either joined the PVG scheme through Scottish Fencing or if you are already a PVG member had a scheme update through Scottish Fencing. If you have a PVG membership or scheme update we will issue your certificate as soon as fees and paperwork are submitted.

Please note it is an offence for anyone to coach under18s without a PVG certificate gained through Scottish Fencing. The committee who have allowed this to happen will also be criminally liable.