Female self-protection class, all levels

GMA Scotland is running a female self-protection class at the North Merchiston Club on Thursday 12 November, from 6:00 to 6:55 pm. It's a single 55-minute session, open to all ages and levels, and it's for over-18s only.

The class is built as a supportive environment to help you work on mental and physical preparedness for real-life scenarios. It combines theory with practical self-protection techniques: sharpening your awareness, recognising and avoiding potential threats, and setting clear personal boundaries to make yourself a hard target. If a situation does turn physical, there's a focus on simple strikes. The idea is to give you a few practical tools you can actually use, rather than a long list of moves you'll never remember.

Because it's open to all levels, you don't need any previous experience to join in, and it's run as a supportive space rather than a high-pressure one. It's a good way to spend an hour getting a bit more confident about how to handle yourself if you ever find yourself in an uncomfortable situation.

The session is held in person at the North Merchiston Club, 48 Watson Crescent, Edinburgh EH11 1EP, with free parking available on site. Tickets are £8 for general admission, and the whole thing runs from 6:00 to 6:55 pm on Thursday 12 November.