Making women 'more confident, more resilient and more prepared'

A mum has launched self-defence classes in Bala after an attack on a teenage girl shattered the town’s sense of safety.

- By STEVE BAGNALL Daily Post Reporter

Janatha Carden said the assault “burst the bubble” that the picturesque tourist town was immune from such crimes.

She has secured £2,000 in funding from North Wales Police and Community Trust (PACT) to run DefendHER personal safety sessions for women and girls.

‘The first class will be held at Canolfan Bro Tegid from 2pm to 4pm on February 28 with further sessions, including refresher course on June 27, planned later this year as part of a pilot scheme.

Janatha said: “The assault broke my bubble of feeling that I lived in a really safe place. A lot of my friends felt like that too, they felt this was a safe space. I wanted to do something, I wanted to turn that into something positive.

“We do know that during tourist season we have strangers come into town, and also this for a life outside of Bala whether that be travel or work or going to university.

“This project is really a pilot, we are going to run it for about a year, then we will evaluate how well we have done and hopefully we will get more funding to carry it on here and potentially go to different areas.

“I got in touch with PACT about funding for the self-defence sessions, I thought it would be a perfect fit. The course itself is for women of all ages, from girls aged 12 and up.