Bender Defenders is a community empowerment, Muay Thai and self defence training movement, born as a consequence of a rise in hate crimes - and open to all genders, abilities, and fitness levels.

Our ethos does not advocate the use of physical violence. We would never encourage people to engage in unnecessary physical confrontations on the street. Self defence is ultimately about trusting your instincts, making decisions quickly, staying calm under pressure and controlling your emotions so you can put your anger and fear to one side to focus on keeping yourself safe. It’s also about supporting each other as a community as best you can. Training martial arts can provide a sense of catharsis for our community who feels under attack in the outside world.