National Lottery funding boost for Ayrshire charity that runs self-defence classes for women and girls

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A charity that runs self-defence classes for women and girls throughout Ayrshire has received a massive funding boost thanks to The National Lottery Community Fund.The Scottish Centre for Personal Safety has been given £19,550 from the fund to help continue their aim of teaching self-defence skills across the region.The charity provides critical support to women and girls affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, sexual abuse, as well as those facing challenges related to mental health and addiction.Latest figures from Police Scotland reveal that 83 per cent of domestic abuse victims in Scotland are female.Moreover, North Ayrshire and East Ayrshire are ranked seventh and eighth local authority, respectively, for the highest number of domestic abuse incidents recorded by the police per 10,000 people, with South Ayrshire coming in at number 12.The centre delivers trauma-informed, and culturally appropriate personal safety training to empower women.Their goal is to collaborate with established organisations across Scotland to reach over 700 women and children, including those from minority ethnic communities, over the next two years.Natalie Carmichael is Wellbeing Manager at The Nest Wellbeing Group in Cumnock.The group invited Alan and his team from The Scottish Centre for Personal Safety to host a workshop for the women they support.She said: “The women we support are our most marginalised in society.

They were terrified of attending but Alan and his team instantly created a safe and supportive environment. After two days they all reported feeling more empowered, more confident and safer.“The women are still talking about it and some have gone on to embrace other activities such as boxing and martial arts.”She added: