Team Coach, says: “With this donation we will be able offer more people in the area the chance to try fencing.”

Northampton Fencing Club, based at Moulton College, Northampton, is celebrating after receiving a £500 donation from the MARS Refuel Drink Fund.

Founded in 1947, the club became a registered charity in 2008 and has 60 full time members attending weekly fencing sessions and training.

The club also actively promotes grass roots fencing at local school and colleges, giving  young people the opportunity to participate in a sport not usually available to them.

The donation from the MARS Refuel Drink Fund will help the club purchase new beginner level equipment, so they can continue to run taster sessions across Northamptonshire.

Nicholas Partridge, team coach, says: “With the donation from the MARS Refuel Drink Fund we will be able to purchase new kit and equipment so we can offer more people in the area the chance to try fencing.

“This will be a great boost to Northampton Fencing Club as it means we can fence for longer. A big thank you goes out to MARS Refuel.”

Research undertaken by MARS Refuel this year revealed that almost a quarter of people feel that they don’t have enough money to start participating in sport, or to keep that involvement going.

The MARS Refuel Drink Fund was created to help people overcome the financial barriers and to play sport for longer by offering £500 awards to teams and individuals.