Stoke Mandeville Stadium, the birthplace of the Paralympics, is pleased to host the annual British Disabled Fencing Association high level training camp, and is also welcoming seven members of the national French Wheelchair fencing squad, this week.

The training camp will welcome the sport’s leading professionals, including Tim Hall-Butcher, Simon Wilson and Vivien Mills, giving British fencers the chance to improve their sparring skills against the French team.

Justine Wilmott, British Wheelchair Fencers Performance Manager commented: “This is a great opportunity for our fencers as they can make good performance gains from training alongside members of the French squad. I hope the experience will prove a successful one that can be repeated in the future.”

Ian Seabrook, Business Development Manager at Stoke Mandeville Stadium commented, “It is excellent news that the British Disabled Fencing Association has selected Stoke Mandeville Stadium to prepare for London 2012, but to host a joint training camp with their French counterparts shows the standing that Stoke Mandeville Stadium has. WheelPower and Harpers at Stoke Mandeville Stadium provide excellent facilities for International Teams as they prepare for major competitions, with London 2012 just around the corner, many teams in many sports will be coming here.”

The four day training camp, starting on the 18 January, will culminate in a competition between the two teams on the 22 January, allowing each side to put their new skills to the test. In total, 13 British wheelchair fencers will be taking part in the camp.