7th June 2016: Bath Sword Club at the Royal Bath & West Show

Bath Sword Club staged an exhibition stand in the Sports Village at the Royal Bath & West Show near Shepton Mallet in Somerset, from 1st to 4th June 2016, the full duration of the 4 day show. Over 30 club members, 4 coaches and 7 volunteers helped to stage the event. The club ran a programme over the 4 days to include exhibition bouts on a roll out metallic piste under a marquee, to include a visit from Piers Gilliver, GBR wheelchair fencer. The focus of this event was to engage the visiting public to “have a go” at fencing. We used “Go fence” plastic swords and masks with our coaches and ran “ad hoc” taster sessions throughout each day. In all, we estimate that in excess of 300 members of the public participated in the taster sessions. We found ourselves located next to a zipper wire and it was perhaps inevitable that the concept of aerial fencing would be born!

Thank you to all members who helped make this event the success that it was and for making a significant contribution towards raising the profile of fencing in the South-West.