Linda Strachan

Linda is an incredible woman - she is a former Olympian who has managed to develop the Newham Sports Fencing team from a grassroots session into elite competitions. She started the club 5 years ago with little resources and funding and 10 participants and it has now grown to over 70 participants from local, disadvantaged schools. She feels incredibly lucky that her parents have given her the opportunity to fence when she was little and now wants to ensure that fencing is not just viewed as a middle class sport but one that is available to everyone. She is passionate about not only delivering doorstep sport to disadvantaged individuals, but also believes that fencing will also enable the kids to mix with other cultures, meet people from very different backgrounds and gain confidence. She also want to expand the club to cater to members with disabilities.