2025 BF HONOURS: MIKE ELLIS

As nominations for the 2026 BF Honours open, we’re shining a spotlight on last year’s recipients. In this feature, we speak to Mike Ellis, who received a Bronze Medal for his contribution to fencing in the Eastern Region over many years, including delivering training for coaching and referees.

Tell us about the work you do to support fencing…

I first moved into the Eastern Region (ER) in 1980, but first, a little history.

I first started fencing at school: the school year of 1960/61 when I was 14. That’s 65 years of being involved with fencing. After leaving school, I joined the Ilford Fencing Club, whose coach was Steve Boston. He invited me to also join his club in London, Salle Boston. Then I was fencing three times a week, twice at Salle Boston and once at Ilford Fencing Club.

When I got married in 1969, we moved out of London. Fencing was always with me, but in the background, as family, a mortgage and career took over. We moved to St Neots, Cambridgeshire in 1980 and I joined the Fenlands Fencing Club, which became the Huntingdonshire Fencing club (HFC) when it moved its venue several times. This now puts me in Eastern Region. The club was very young and I became its most experienced fencer as soon as I joined. I soon was involved in teaching and coaching the club’s beginners. I became Club Captain and then in 1988, took over as Treasurer and Admin Officer, which I still do to this day.

In the mid-1980s, I started to attend the County association committee meetings. The county was very active in those days. It was before the ‘open competition’ started to dominate. We had a league and many competitions throughout the year. I took over as Chair in 1986 and served up until 2002. I passed my coaching exams in all three weapons in the early 1990s via the BAF and took over as HFC coach in March 1991. At the same time, HFC moved to its current venue in One Leisure Sports Centre, St Neots, Cambs.

In 1995, I, with Lorraine Taylor, started the Bury St Edmunds Fencing Club. We got hold of some second-hand equipment. A few other like-minded people joined us, and the BSE Club was born. We ran beginner courses and the club thrived. I left at the end of 2010 when I retired from my day job. My office was nearby, but when I retired I did not want to make that journey anymore. The club still runs today.

In the mid-1990s, I got very interested in competition refereeing. In 2001, I took and passed my first referee exams. I started to referee a lot at various competitions, opens, LPJS, etc., and also some competitions in France.

In 2012, I was approached by the ER committee to join them as ‘Referee Development Officer’, which I did. Through the 20 teens up to 2019 I organised many refereeing BF exams, both theory and practical. At least two a year and over that period, created many, many new referees.

The news travelled that I ran such classes and I was invited to run several in London region and also for Leicester University. BF asked me to run a referee course at the national BYCs (I think that was 2014).

In 2015, I was elected as Chair of ER. We had a very good and active committee, which was of great help. We organised youth training days, two or three per year. We would bring in good coaches for each weapon and have a day’s training for the U18s. We did the same for the Vets. It then made sense to combine these events, so we started the ‘ER’s Big Fencing Weekend’. We would hire a local sports centre or school hall for two days (Sat & Sun), plus a couple of rooms.

On the Saturday, we would hold a theory referee class and an armourers workshop. In the main hall, a youth/VETs training day. On Sunday would be a competition, maybe the ER Senior Championships. The people that passed their referee theory exam would then help referee and hopefully pass their practical exam. These weekends were a great success and each year we would hold at least one somewhere in the region. We would try to use a different venue so it moved around the region. I stepped down as Chair at the end of 2018.

In 2013, I joined ‘REFCOM’, BF’s refereeing committee. I only stayed in a couple of years before resigning. Even so, it was an interesting couple of years.

In 2016, I was invited to coach at Anglian Ruskin University, which I still do to this day.

All through the 20 teens, I refereed at as many domestic competitions as possible, on average refereeing three times per month. I covered most of the opens south of Sheffield and handled many finals in all three weapons. One that sticks in my mind was the Luton Open, where I handled five out of six finals. Many of those opens have now disappeared, which is a great shame. There were of course many junior age group events as well, like the LPJS and BYCs.

In 2018, I was awarded the BF Referee of the Year Community Award, which was a great honour and I was very proud of that award. In the same year, I was a finalist for the BF Lifetime Achievement’ award. Again, honoured.

Since Covid, I have stepped back a bit from being on committees and travelling too far for competition refereeing. I still try to cover competitions in the ER and within a two-hour drive of home.

I am still a BF refereeing mentor and happy to encourage and help young referees. No referees means no competitions.

While doing all of the above, I have been with HFC as their treasurer/admin and senior coach, covering all three weapons and helping with county events.

Fencing has always been with me, sometimes in the background, but always there.

It is never one person but always a group of fencing enthusiasts that make things work and move forward. I have been lucky to work with such people at HFC, the County and ER.

I feel I should be saying thank you to fencing, not the other way round, as fencing has given me so much. I am proud and honoured to receive such awards, especially the Bronze Medal, as this award is from one’s fencing peers.

ABOUT THE BF HONOURS

BF Honours are awarded to members who have demonstrably upheld the BF values of honesty, respect and excellence, all while making a significant contribution to fencing in the UK. Awards are conferred annually and announced and presented at the AGM by the BF President.

Fencers who have represented GBR either as an individual or as a team member and have achieved a podium place in specific categories will automatically be recommended for an appropriate award.

Nominations for the 2026 BF Honours are open and close on the 29th May 2026. Click here to make your nomination.

The BF Honours are separate from the BF Community Awards.

Click here for more information about the BF Honours, including past recipients.