Women are boxing clever as they tackle the Beast
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The 16-strong gang from Boxfit300 in Inverness, led by their boxing coaches Jasper Chisholm and Tanya Fraser, will take on the 10k Beast Race in aid of the Rape and Sexual Abuse Service Highland (RASASH).
Boxing club member Kirsty Chalmers said training sessions were ramped-up to get them ready for the Saturday event which cuts through dense forest, muddy bogs and dirt tracks, and is pitted with 30 obstacles including a swim in Loch Ness.
“We wanted to do the race for this particular charity because of the sensitive nature of the topic,” she said. “Sexual violence can be really difficult to talk about whether or not you’ve experienced it, so hopefully by taking part in this fundraising activity as a group we will help get conversations going and make it less of a taboo subject – and maybe even make it easier for people to seek help.”
The ladies-only boxing team which trains at Gym300 in Carsegate Road has a fundraising goal of £1000.
The group is running an hour-long pay-what-you-like boot camp class tomorrow at 6.30pm and the money raised will go towards the cause.
Ms Chalmers hopes the funding will help RASASH volunteers, who provide face-to-face support, information and advocacy for people aged 13 and over who have experienced sexual violence or abuse.
The 29-year-old manager at Velocity Bicycle Café and Workshop, said: “The importance of the work they do helping survivors of sexual assault speaks for itself and with the rising use of social media and the conflicting messages on what feminism is combined with the easy-accessibility to porn, it’s more important than ever than young men and women understand the meaning and reality of consent and that young women feel confident in speaking up for themselves.”
Ms Chalmers, who took up boxing to relieve stress and improve her mental health, added: “It’s amazing. If anyone has suffered sexual violence boxing is a really good activity to relieve stress and it’s such a good workout.”
Visit www.mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/heelsoffgloveson1 to make a donation.
