On 21st May 2026, young people from across London came together at the Leon Paul Fencing Centre in North London for this year’s Fencing 4 Change: Autism Project competition.
The event brought together 45 participants from eight schools across London, celebrating the progress, confidence and skills developed through the Fencing 4 Change programme.
Delivered in partnership between BF and The Change Foundation, Fencing 4 Change uses fencing to improve physical literacy and reduce the risk of social isolation for young people aged 11–16 with autism. The programme provides a creative, inclusive and accessible environment where participants can develop movement skills, build confidence and experience fencing in a way that is designed around their needs.
The competition gave participants the opportunity to put their skills into practice, fence with young people from other schools, and celebrate their achievements together.
GBR foilist Callum Penman also attended the event, supporting participants, refereeing the finals, and presenting medals. His presence gave young people the opportunity to meet a current GBR athlete and helped make the day even more memorable for everyone involved.
Fencing 4 Change is part of BF’s wider commitment to delivering positive social impact through the sport. This aligns with the BF 2030 Strategy, which sets out a vision for a strong, successful, and socially impactful fencing community, including a strategic goal to increase fencing’s contribution to improving people’s lives.
The competition marked the culmination of the current tranche of funded activity. Following the conclusion of this phase of funding, BF and The Change Foundation will now move into a review and reporting cycle. Both organisations hope to continue the project in partnership once further funding streams can be identified.
The team would like to thank all the young people, schools, staff, coaches, partners, and supporters who have contributed to Fencing 4 Change during this phase of delivery.
Congratulations to everyone who took part in this year’s competition.
To read more about last year’s Fencing 4 Change competition, click here.
Click here to read more about Fencing 4 Change, in partnership with The Change Foundation.
This post is related to the BF 2030 Strategy goal five, to Deliver Positive Social Impact. You can read more about the Strategy here.
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