Council and police to offer free self defence lessons for women and girls in Bridgend

The free classes, provided by South Wales Police and Bridgend County Borough Council aim to teach basic self-defence skills to hundreds of women and girls across Bridgend.

300 places will be available across a number of sessions which will take place on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 6-8pm, during February and March.

The sessions will take place at Bridgend Halo Leisure Centre and will be delivered by a self-defence expert who has designed a simple but effective session to deliver training in situational awareness, conflict de-escalation and self-defence.

South Wales Police Community Safety Inspector Mike Rudall, said: “Whilst the chances of becoming a victim of crime is still extremely low, we know that certain crimes disproportionately affect women and girls.

“As a Force we continue to make progress as we relentlessly pursue perpetrators of these crimes and work with partners to safeguard those who are at risk, but we want to do more.

“We recognise that women and girls may feel vulnerable and at times unsafe. We hope these classes will appeal to them and provide knowledge and basic skills to reduce these fears.”

The initiative is funded by the Home Office under the ‘Safer Streets’ fund following a successful application by South Wales Police and our Police and Crime Commissioner.

Women and girls aged 16 and over can apply to join one of the free classes online.