Simeon Malcolm: The amateur boxer creating a safer community for women
A new self-defence group, Guard Her Ground, has started in Hulme.
In partnership with the Nello James Centre, Simeon Malcolm has put together an hour of free self-defence and boxing classes to improve women’s confidence and their safety from within St. Mary’s Church, in Hulme.
Simeon – the facilitator, coach, and motivator for Guard Her Ground – aims to give practical self-defence, survival and fitness tools to women.
An amateur boxer with 20-years under his belt, both he and Bianca Danielle – project manager for the Rekindling of Nello James group – are determined to shape their community into something they are proud be a part of. The Nello James Centre is set to introduce a series of projects similar to Guard Her Ground to better empower Black-led spaces in the community.
“I feel like sports is a good outlet that can express unity,” said Simeon in an exclusive interview with NQ. “Change is crucial within sisterhood [and Guard Her Ground] is based on all women coming together. So no matter what background you come from, who you are, it’s about unity and improving the community.”
Simeon addressed the daunting reality of society not being safe for the majority of people: “We live in a society where nobody’s safe and we associate fighting with men only. But if we look at the statistics, women are more vulnerable to violence.”
The core focus for Guard Her Ground is to provide women with the practical tools to enable them to escape dangerous situations.
Simeon explained: “Self-defence is different, because you will survive more if you’re trying to defend yourself versus fighting somebody. By defending yourself, you’re responding and then removing yourself from the situation.
“The one thing that women do have when it comes to fighting in society or defending themselves is the element of surprise. People don’t expect women to have a punch in their repertoire. But I hope to give that to them.”
Simeon got into boxing himself at a young age, and found that the sport gave him an outlet and direction through life. “I used to be involved in competitions,” he said. “I remember my fight in France in 2007 – never forgot that. I also travelled around Europe. It’s just been a positive journey.
“And now I’m 36. Amateur boxers stop at age 40, so I’m on my way out. I don’t want to box anymore. I want to pass on my expertise to the community, to young people, older people, sisters, and then call it a day as a coach.”
Alongside being a support worker and a coach, Simeon is also a father, and described be able to find the time in the day to pursue what he finds important as ‘magic’.
“I can’t explain it any other way,” he said. “You just have to manage your time in whatever way works for you. Like now, I’m going straight to my next [boxing] class after this. I have to find the time. And life is all about time.”
After the success of the first class, Bianca described her own vision for the future of Guard Her Ground in three words: “Strong, because it makes me physically feel strong. Also tiring, as it’s a lot of movement, and fulfilling. It fills me up, like I’ve come out of that feeling like I’ve achieved something!”
Depending on Guard Her Ground’s success over the next few weeks, Simeon and Bianca hope to implement the self-defence and boxing training into a permanent class within the Nello James Centre.
The next sessions of Guard Her Ground are set to be held on 25 November and 2 December in the Nello James Centre, Hulme.