Stewart Duguid

Mid Down Fencing Club was started in 2008 as a small, independent local club offering an environment for beginners and fun social fencers as well as those training for competitions and national rankings. Stewart has been Chairman of the Club since 2009 and has grown the club from a handful of fencers to a vibrant club, 30 strong of all ages (8-50s). He has secured grants that have allowed the club to provide all the equipment for beginners to get a taste for the sport. He has also organised and received First Aid training and Child Protection training. In 2010 Stewart gained his first coaching certificate, and recently attained a Level 2 certificate for Foil fencing. Of the current crop of fencers Stewart has trained several medal winners in competitions in the UK and Ireland. These include the current Northern Ireland Under-14 Foil Champion for Girls. A recent haul of medals from the Northern Ireland Junior Series from new students bodes well for the future. All of this involvement Stewart provides on a voluntary basis, from the weekly training sessions to maintaining training certificates and travelling to competitions to help out as well as offering coaching advice.