Five recipients of the British Fencing Association's Achievement Awards, recently presented by Billericay MP Teresa Gorman at St John's School, Billericay's Speech Day, represent the multi-national range of pupils studying at St John's.

Maxime Van der Aa from Belgium and Katherine Rinkevich from the U.S.A., fence alongside their English companions, including James Bashford, who is pictured (centre), wearing his medal for gaining second place in the Essex Fencing Union's competition at the Chelmsford Polytechnic in November.

The pupils' fencing coach, Terence Gandy of the British Academy of Fencing, himself a former pupil of British Olympic Coach, Bob Anderson, better known as the choreographer of the laser fight scenes in the film 'Star Wars', coaches both girls and boys from the age of eight at St John's.

He said: ''When pupils later attend university interviews, fencing is normally discussed as a topic of conversation and interest''.

The five St. Johns School pupils who received British Fencing Association's Achievement Awards, (left to right): Katherine Rinkervich, Maxime Van der Aa, James Bashford, Alex White and Lloyd Amos.

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