Year Starts with Honour for Chichester’s Sharon Blackman

The Olympic year of 2016 began with the great news that Sharon Blackman was awarded with the Medal of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen’s New Year’s Honour List.  Blackman, Head Coach at Chichester Fencing Club, was recognised for her services to fencing.

Speaking about the award, Sharon said; “I was really surprised but what a nice surprise to have.  I have known since November so I’ve had to keep the news quiet.  I’m very pleased and very proud.  The letter was very formal, it came in a bit of a scary envelope from the Cabinet Office, so when I opened it my first feeling was one of relief.”

Sharon, who took over the club fifteen years ago, added; “The club is about forty years old.  It was handed to me by the founder who it meant an awful lot to and it means an awful lot to me to try to continue what he started.  The club covers a real mixture of people, we have had five members placed on the Olympic Pathway and had a Commonwealth gold medalist.  But we also have youngsters who have found it tough to fit in, who don’t want to play football or other sports and come to fencing and enjoy how individualistic it is.”

British Fencing congratulates Sharon for her hard work and dedication to our sport and for this most prestigious recognition of her efforts.