Self-Defence & Personal Safety: Building Confidence for Everyday Life

Discover how greater awareness, clear boundaries and practical self-defence skills can help you feel more confident in everyday situations. This engaging, interactive workshop explores personal safety through realistic scenarios, with strategies participants can apply when commuting, travelling alone, socialising or navigating uncomfortable encounters.

Delivered by Laura Sinclair, founder of Under the Hub CIC, the session combines practical learning with supportive discussion. Participants will explore recognising potential warning signs, using their voice confidently, maintaining distance and identifying opportunities to leave a situation or seek help.

The practical element introduces simple self-defence techniques, with an emphasis on creating space and getting away safely. Activities will be delivered in an approachable way, with participants encouraged to work at their own comfort level.

The workshop also explores the importance of trusting your instincts and feeling confident to set boundaries and take up space. Responsibility for threatening or violent behaviour always lies with the person causing harm; the session aims to expand participants’ options and confidence.
Whether you are new to self-defence or looking to develop your personal safety awareness, you will leave with practical tools, a clearer understanding of your choices and greater confidence to respond to challenging situations.

There will be a lunch served after the event.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of the workshop, participants will:

• Recognise potential warning signs and identify practical ways to improve everyday safety awareness.
• Explore how voice, body language and clear boundaries can support assertive communication.
• Practise simple self-defence techniques focused on creating space and escaping.
• Consider responses to realistic scenarios, including travelling alone and unwanted attention.

Laura Sinclair is the founder and delivery lead of Under the Hub CIC, a Preston-based community organisation with a mission to empower women to feel safe and confident through movement and exercise, self-defence and personal safety.

A British Muay Thai champion and WBC bronze world medallist, Laura brings first-hand experience of training, coaching, and building confidence through movement. She is passionate about helping women recognise their capabilities, develop self-belief, and feel confident to take up space, both during sessions and in everyday life.

Through Under the Hub CIC, Laura brings the organisation’s MOVE, DEFEND, EMPOWER ethos to life: helping women and girls build confidence through movement and exercise, develop practical self-defence and personal safety skills, and feel empowered to use their voice, set boundaries and take up space. Her sessions offer a welcoming, supportive environment where participants can discover their strengths and leave feeling more capable and confident.

While her organisation’s mission centres on empowering women, Laura welcomes men attending this workshop and encourages everyone to contribute to a respectful, supportive learning environment.
https://www.instagram.com/underthehubcic/

Option 1 – Multi Storey

• AXA have access to 27 spaces in the multi-storey car park located near the Self-Storage Facility.
• AXA licensed spaces are highlighted in green on the plan below (spaces 48-74). These are the only spaces to be used.
• To park in the multi-storey, visitors must go via AXA reception to collect a pass for entrance to the multi-storey car park. These will need to be signed out and returned to reception once used.
• The multistorey car park is to be accessed through Building 5's car park (AO – Opposite AXA). Please see the drawing below for directions. The pass will be needed for entrance, but this is not required to exit, so this must be returned to reception when the visitor comes to sign in.

Once the 27 spaces are full, visitors must park on the Middlebrook Retail Park.

Option 2 – Retail Park

Parking on the Middlebrook shopping car park can be used for up to 6 hours without incurring a penalty. If using this car park, please park away from the shops.

If the visitors park on the cinema side of the retail park, circled below, they can cut through the Bolton Stadium through the alleyway behind Subway. It’s a 5-10 min walk.

Directions are below: