Today marks the 4-year anniversary of when Liverpool HEMA opened its doors.
Our previous anniversary in July last year was a slightly subdued affair, taking place near the end of the first major lockdown, without any legal opportunity to get together to celebrate. We had just started running online sessions through Zoom, and we kept running these online sessions pretty much all the way through until May this year, when we were finally allowed back into the hall.
Having the online sessions for weeks when we could not train together in person was definitely valuable, but there’s nothing quite like getting together in person to play with swords!
One of the things that the pandemic has thrown into sharp relief is the importance of community and having people you can rely on for all sorts of help. For me, keeping the club running in whatever fashion has certainly helped me keep hold of whatever sanity I had left. The sessions where we were allowed to train in the hall were important to me and were generally the highlight of my week. And I hope that by keeping the club running, other people gained some kind of benefit or happiness to help get through all the restrictions and problems.
The greatest strength that we have as a club is the people who make up the group. It’s a wonderful group of people at the club and I look forward to a more active year ahead, so that we can share some more fun while trying to stab each other in the face.
If learning to fence with the longsword appeals to you, then give it a go!
Read about what to expect for your first session.
Then book your attendance, and come along!
