Jackpot Win for RAF Fencer – Dom’s Story

Jackpot-winning fencer, Squadron Leader Dom Walden, recently got in touch with us to thank the Central Fund for its contribution to sport in the RAF. He told us how it wasn’t until a few years into his sporting journey that he released how much the Fund supports personnel through grant funding programmes, and how getting into fencing at 38 years old has not only kept him fit over the years but also helped him to build a range of skills he can take back to his day job.

“I was lucky enough to recently win the £10,000 jackpot in the RAF Sports Lottery and it got me thinking about how important sport is to me and how well supported we, as a service, are by the RAF Central Fund. I started fencing when I was 38 at RAF Waddington’s fencing club. From here I continued to fence with the RAF Fencing Association and over the years, have fenced for the RAF, UK Armed Forces, and last year, at the Commonwealth Games. I like to give back to my sport, so alongside competing I also coach the RAF Coningsby Station club and am Chair of UK Armed Forces fencing.

Fencing has given me focus, built up my fitness, and given me the opportunity to meet and enjoy the company of many wonderful people throughout the services. The sport itself involves speed, tactics, and guile as you try to coordinate your hands and feet into getting the point of your sword to hit your opponent, all the while trying to counteract your opponent’s own efforts.

I admit that I didn’t really appreciate how much the Central Fund do for me until a few years into my sport. The Fund provides Station clubs with grants for equipment, RAF Fencing obtains their equipment through annual support to the Sports Associations, and I have also been able to purchase kit thanks to the Individual Sports Grants programme.

There are always competing demands on our money, especially during the cost-of-living crisis that we are currently facing; there’s the mortgage, car repairs, food, and a multitude of other essentials. This is why the Individual Sports Grants programme is so important, it allows me to purchase fencing kit that I would never have been able to prioritise without the Central Fund’s support. When you compare us with the other services, RAF personnel are massively supported in their sporting journeys. That’s why I will continue to support the Sports Lottery as I know how vital the charity’s contribution is to sport in the RAF.

Earlier this year the Coningsby fencing club applied for a Central Fund Enrichment Grant to enable more people on Station to get into the sport. The funding also gives our existing fencers more opportunities to ‘fence electric’; where they are attached via cable to a scoring machine to help them to understand how little pressure is needed to hit, and the best techniques to apply to improve their performance. A few weeks ago, we were pleased to discover that the grant of £4,700 had been awarded. The club and I certainly recognise the Central Fund’s considerable help in making things like this happen; without them our Station clubs would find it very hard to survive, losing significant social and team-building opportunities.

My final point would be to find a sport at 18, not 38! There are so many ways to get involved in sport, whether you already have a sport of choice or have an interest in trying something for the first time. Get in touch with a Sports Association or check out the great clubs already offered on your Station.”

Sqn Ldr Dom Walden