Whitchurch Fencing Club

Bronze Award - British Fencing honours Michael Clemitson, our Club Secretary

Paul Stelb writes :
Renaissance Man - ‘a person of many talents and areas of knowledge’ - a term that aptly applies to Michael Clemitson, soon approaching his half century of carrying out very wide-ranging services to Fencing.

Co-Founder :
Whitchurch Fencing Club, on leaving their evening class at Whitchurch Adult Centre in 1987, firstly as Treasurer and since 2007, as Secretary and Treasurer.

Competition Organiser :
- 1989 to date - the annual O’Sullivan Cup, now in its 37th year.
- 1994-98, the open-air Whitchurch Summer Shield at Dyffryn Gardens, and elsewhere, and resuscitated in 2024 at Coity Castle.
- 2015-16, the Whitchurch Shield, filling an ‘intermediate gap’ following the withdrawal of long-established Turner Cup.
- And closer to home, in recent years the Club has run an ‘end of year’ Club Champion competition, for which an annual trophy is awarded.
- Competition software : author - SullCalc, a bespoke application for Poule Unique events.

Coaching:
AFA Club Leader Award - 1995, Welsh Fencing Level 1 Award - 2012, BFA Level 2 - 2023.

Armourer :
Qualified `Journeyman` Armourer 2014, Welsh Open armoury team 2009-19, Weapons Testing & Armoury team - Commonwealth Fencing Championship, Largs 2014.

Welsh Fencing :
- 1993-97- WAFU (Welsh Fencing Amateur Union) :
Co-Editor of their quarterly Newsletter. Computerisation of their Membership Records, held on a lovely handwritten card index...
- 2005-20 - WF (Welsh Fencing) - Organised and managed a monthly download from BFA, initially for a PC application, later migrating to a web-based system, `CRUFTS` (Club Records Using File Transfer System), providing Club Administrators with ready access to their club’s membership details.
- 2016 -20 - Welsh Fencing DBS Countersignatory, a statutory position, until the work was transferred in 2020 to Vibrant Nation, a third party provider.

So well done to Michael; our sincere congratulations !

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