We’ll be holding our Club Epée competition starting (probably not finishing – it usually runs in to the 2nd week to get all the DEs finished) on February 27th. Entry is free! Just make sure to get there on time.

Our AGM for 2022 will be held at the start of the senior session (7pm). The following items will be up for vote (all members are eligible to vote, junior members may have their vote cast by their parent/guardian).

• Election/re-election of club committee members
  • Request for volunteers for new post of Junior Members’ Rep
• Proposed adjustment to senior members’ monthly fee to £23 (to be effective from 01/01/2023; junior fees to remain the same)

We’ve just held our annual competition, in collaboration with Seacourt Fencing Club, the Hampshire Open. While slightly quieter than before COVID, it was still a lively competition and as always, a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

We’d like to extend special thanks to referees Peter Huggins, Marcus Messer, and Peet Sasaki, our armourers, and the DT team; and as always Jenny Morris running the show.

We also hugely appreciated the presence of the small army of St. Benedicts pupils, we hope to see you again next year (and we raise a glass in salute to whoever organised the logistics for that operation!)

And finally, to all of our competitors, whether it was an epic journey or right on your doorstep, thank you! We hope you enjoyed it, and we’ll see you again soon.

You can find the full set of results on Fencing Time Live.

We’ll be running a foil pool unique on February 14th to get our newer members mixing in a bit more – and just generally because it’s fun!

We’ve given most people a heads-up that it’s coming already, but here’s the official announcement – we need to increase membership fees. The new prices are as follows:

Senior Monthly Membership: £20
Senior one-session payment: £10

Junior or full time student monthly membership: £20
Junior or full time student one-session payment: £7

These prices come in to effect as of 1st January 2022.

And for those of you who are particularly sharp eyed, yes the email’s preview text did have an error; it’s definitely from January 2022, not 2021!

A handy (if rough and ready) guide to where we’ll be in Mayfield School!

For the junior session, the main hall is straight down the corridor and on the left. For seniors to get to the sports hall, continue past the main hall and through the cafeteria, look for double doors on the right after the stairs; the sports hall is through these and on the right.

It’s been a busy few weeks! There’s a lot to cover here… let’s start with the most urgent.

New venue: Mayfield School

As most of you know by now, St Edmunds decided that they would no longer staff the venue to the hours needed for our session. Next week (Monday 18th October) will be our last session in St Edmunds.

After half term (starting November 1st) we will be meeting in Mayfield School. The time slots will be the same, but due to other activities running in the sports hall during the first half of the junior session, junior and senior sessions will run in separate spaces.

• Juniors – 6:30-7:30pm, Mayfield School main hall
• Seniors – 7pm-9pm, Mayfield School sports hall

The entrance to the venue is on Kensington Road; there is free street parking, and there’s enough space that you shouldn’t struggle to get a spot.

Committee

Our chairwoman of many years and member for even longer, Val Yearworth, is taking a well deserved retirement from her duties.

The new chairperson will be Joash Lewis, and Veronique Meheut becomes the new Treasurer. Thomas Carrel is also joining the committee.

Fees increase incoming (not immediate)

We have kept club fees as low as possible and relied on other income and reserves; however the time has come where we must increase the membership fees to stay afloat. The committee voted to increase the membership fee to £20/month; however the date the new fee commences has not yet been decided – you’ll be updated once we’ve figured that part out.

We’re two sessions in to the 2021/22 season and have decided it’s time to retire our venerable old website and build something new. We hope you like it! As of today, the old site will not be updated with information relating to Portsmouth & Southsea; please come to this site in future for everything related to the club. Seacourt and the Hampshire Open will have their own, dedicated sites.

Our junior session has gotten off to a very strong start with the highest numbers we’ve seen in several years. A big welcome to all the new faces! Our senior session has by no means been quiet, though not its busiest either – but it will probably pick up more through the term.

See you all bright and sharp and raring to go on Monday evening 😊