Andrew Wright launched EK Spear System to provide free SPEAR Training (Spontaneous Protection Enabling Accelerated Response), a defense system that leverages natural reactions to fear or violence, to anyone who feels they need it.
The 34-year-old, who lives in East Kilbride, decided to act after noticing that residents on social media expressed growing concerns about safety in the area.
This initiative follows the arrest and charges against a man in July, related to reports of allegedly following women in East Kilbride. The trial is scheduled for September 6, 2024, at Hamilton Sherriff Court.
Andrew told the Glasgow Times, “I saw posts from women in the community who felt vulnerable and unsafe on our streets, and even men who no longer felt secure going out to exercise. I realized I had the training to help the community regain a sense of safety.”
He explained that the classes are designed to rebuild confidence and bring together those who have been victims of assaults. “I want to make a meaningful impact on the community,” he added.
Andrew, who completed a three-week use of force instructor course in 2022, has been training prison, custody, and border force personnel. Having been a victim of multiple attacks himself, he shared that these self-defense classes have also been therapeutic for him. “They have healed me,” he said.
As a way of giving back to East Kilbride, where he moved a year and a half ago after growing up in Erskine, Andrew offers a free class every Monday at the Waist Not Want Not Community Centre in Green Hills, East Kilbride. These classes are in partnership with the center and Little Brains, an East Kilbride-based charity supporting children’s mental health. The classes are open to adults and children, with all attendees receiving a free safety alarm.
Andrew is also planning to start his own classes at the Village Centre and hopes to collaborate with boxing gyms to offer additional free self-defense sessions. He expressed surprise at the overwhelming demand for these classes.
For more information about Little Brains classes, click HERE. To learn more about EK Spear System or to contact Andrew, click HERE.
