2022 BF Honours Announcement

The 2022 BF Honours were announced at the AGM on Saturday 10th October and were presented by Elected Board Director Pat Aiyenuro at the Eden Cup, November 4-5th 2022.

Summary of the awards:

Award of Merit:

Tim Schofield – In recognition of his work as a voluntary beginners coach at Guildford Fencing Club for at least 10 years, serving on its committee for at least 30 years and helping to organise, run and volunteer at Surrey events as part of the Surrey County Fencing Union for a similar amount of time and acting as treasurer for the South East Region for 5 years.

Bronze Medals:

Marie-Pauline MacKinnon – In recognition of the many years acting as a team manager for BF cadet and Junior international teams.

Maggie Maynard – Maggie Maynard has acted as team manager for BF international events for many years and as a team manager for BF cadet and junior teams for over 10 years.

Peter Rome – Peter Rome has been instrumental in keeping the sport of wheelchair fencing in Great Britain alive and flourishing over the last six years. Without sufficient funds, equipment or support, and only a handful of athletes to work with, Peter ran training weekends in his own time, driving half way across England at his own expense to do so. Peter’s involvement has played a major role in creating today’s Olympic medal-winning wheelchair team.

Silver Medals:

Gemma Collis – Following increasingly good performances, Gemma has had some very strong performances this season, culminating in a bronze medal in Sao Paulo in Brazil. In 2018 she was the first British woman to win a Gold medal in a World Cup and was a member of the Paralympic Fencing squad in Tokyo. She makes a significant contribution to international fencing serving on the IWAS Athletes Council, where she is Vice-chair and is on the Gender Equity Commission. Gemma is also on the BF Athlete Representative Panel.

Steve Jackson – Steve Jackson is a former Director of British Fencing and was at one time the British Fencing Armourer. As a founder member of the British Guild of Armourers he has been a major contributor to British Fencing’s armoury team for over 40 years, be it at the 2012 Olympics, FIE competitions or domestic competitions. Steve has worked tirelessly for our sport.

Kristin Payne – Kristin Payne has dedicated a lifetime to fencing. In the 1970s she was Hon. Secretary for Ladies fencing, a separate organisation within the AFA in those days. She also escorted the ladies teams to many World Junior Championships.

When she returned from living and working in the Netherlands she joined Bristol Fencing Club, where she took on the role of club Secretary, where she has been instrumental in organising the club constitution, policies and procedures and keeping the fencers informed throughout Covid.

Lyndon Taylor – For his continuing support of Colchester Fencing Club in unpaid coaching, club management, running in the past their open competition and in particular keeping the club afloat and indeed active during COVID.

Gold Medals:

Clare Halsted – Clare Halsted has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to British Fencing and its international standing, including representing GB in the Olympics and latterly with medal-winning success in veteran fencing, founding and for decades leading the Finchley Foil children’s club, serving on the BF Board and many committees, again for decades co-ordinating BF’s medical and anti-doping activities, and serving on the FIE’s Medical Commission where she was the lead in anti-doping monitoring and education.

Peter Huggins – Peter Huggins has been a tireless servant to the fencing community for many years as a coach, referee, county and regional chair and competition organiser. Most notably he spearheaded the development of BF’s cadre of armourers to become world leading, in recognition of which he is a members of the European Confederation’s SEMI commission. He is also very active in the wheelchair fencing world and a member of the IWAS Executive Committee.

Steve Higginson – Steve Higginson has fenced épée at GB at World Championships, has been active in county and section fencing and currently chairs the BF Rules Committee. He first took responsibility for translating the FIE rules into English in 1972 and represented GB at the FIE Congress for the first time in 1973, with an almost unbroken commitment to both tasks ever since. First elected to the FIE Rules Commission in 1989, he was its chair for 12 years.

Directors’ Award:

Eddie Goodall – Earlier in the year a special Directors Award was presented to Eddie Goodall who in 1982 with his late wife, Beryl Goodall, founded Romiley Fencers.

The club had for 40 years been run exclusively for young people in the Manchester area, teaching hundreds of pupils drawn mainly from local primary schools, with advancing to national and indeed international levels.

Earlier this year, at the age of 91, Eddie decided to retire and to close Romily Fencers and this award was presented in recognition of his achievement.

Results based awards:

Bronze Medal: James Jeal, Carolina Stutchbury

Goblet (Individual Results): Alec Brooke, Jamie Cook

Goblet (Team Results):

Carolina Stutchbury, Isabella Johnson, Megan Elliott, Amelie Tsang -Womens Cadet Foil Team – Bronze Medal at the European Championships in Novi Sad.

Alec Brooke, James Jeal, Jacob Mitchell, Joseph Walmsley – Mens junior Epee Team – Silver Medal at the European Championships in Novi Sad.

Jaimie Cook, Callum Penman, David Sosnov, Nye Ulferts-Kilpatrick – Mens Cadet Foil Team – Silver Medal at the European Championships in Novi Sad.

BF Special Award:

Julia Caron, Imogen Bulman, Rachael Lever, Hannah Lebor – Womens junior Epee Team, European Championships Novi Sad – team withdrawn when faced with the Russian team in protest at the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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