Ben Peggs Takes Part in West Yorkshire Scouts Q&A

Ben Peggs answers a range of questions including, “What motivates you to fence?” and answers the age-old question, “Cat or dog?” with Scouts from across the UK.

For a number of years, West Yorkshire Scouts have embraced fencing, upskilling Scout leaders and Explorers to inspire others to get involved with the sport. During the pandemic, Scout leaders have made use of BF online resources enabling them to deliver virtual fencing sessions. The resource videos feature fencer Ben Peggs, who himself had his first experience of fencing as a Scout.

Ben recently took part in a Q&A hosted by West Yorkshire Scouts which saw a range of questions put to him from Scouts across the country, such as:

“How did you first get into fencing?”

“What’s your favourite country you’ve competed in?”

Ben shared his journey through the sport, from his first experience fencing as a Scout at a PGL camp, to the constant and continued support he has from his family and friends, who’ve played a key part in his journey to becoming a professional athlete. In answer to one Scout leader’s question, “How do you keep resilient and positive?”, Ben said that although he is a resilient and determined person, he also has his down days like everyone else. Ben also talked about his role as a mentor for young athletes through BF’s True Athlete Project, sharing with the Scouts, “It’s OK to stumble when you’re setting goals and looking to the future, it’s being human, and it’s how we learn and how we develop”.

The session was hosted by West Yorkshire Scouts Youth County Commissioner Toby Hammond, who said, “It was a pleasure to interview Ben Peggs from British Fencing. It was truly inspirational to see how a former scout has used the skills for life he has learnt in scouting to get him where he is today. We are looking forward to continuing to build our great partnership with British Fencing into the future to provide more of our young people with this unique opportunity.”

BF’s Head of Participation, Virginia Bailey said, “It’s great that there is a connection between Ben and the Scout Association, the fact that he had his first experience of fencing as a Scout, we hope will inspire others to give it a go! Ben is a great role model for young people and we hope having an insight into what it’s like to be a professional athlete will be an inspiration to those listening.”

If you’re a Scout leader and would like to find out more about how you can introduce fencing to your Scouts and access the free BF online resource, please contact [email protected]