Self protection scheme for women comes to Oldham

Women insure cars, homes, holidays, pets, and belongings, but they don’t insure themselves.

That was the message guests at CROWN, an Upturn Female Business Network heard as Amazonian School of Self Protection guru Jessica Jones spoke about the differences between self-defence and self-protection. 

 
“Your body is yours. Yours to keep safe. Yours to protect. and it is the one thing that is irreplaceable” she revealed, “self-protection is not about fighting, which is normally carried out between two consenting people.  

“It’s the whole 360 approach to everything to do with your safety…recognising red flags, managing boundaries (even on first dates), how to react to your environment, and avoiding violence altogether. Women need to re-align their focus and make protecting themselves a real priority.”   

Demonstrating everything from dealing with a predatory passenger on the train, to how to escape a stranglehold. 

Jessica’s journey from student to teacher, started back in 2016, training in Krav Maga, but following much more studies and training into the world of self-protection, Jessica opened up her school, Amazonia in 2021.  

“My logo features a cat in the bath” she continued, “because what I teach is the art of ‘BataCat’…. when a cat is put in a bath, it will do anything to escape…That is what I teach!’ 

Jessica’s tale preceded the story of Super Delph volunteer, Jenny Begley. Although featuring gentler pursuits such as flower-arranging, her presentation was also brimming with courage and inspiration.  

The former Cheshire netball player and treasured local schoolteacher was one of the first women to bag a degree in PE back in 1967.  

“But Sheffield University refused to recognise it, because we were women” she told guests, “We were called, “bluestockings” and sent home where we were said to be “unnatural” and “unmarriable.”

Demonstrating the tenacity that has seen her raise tens of thousands for charity, Jenny and other graduates badgered authorities and finally got their moment – with a degree presentation and parade through Sheffield’s streets in 2025. 

Upturn organised the event as part of their CROWN programme, which aims to connect businesswomen and lift their contribution to the community high.  

Maria Williams, creator of CROWN concluded, “Our aim was to showcase the best of women, so that we can inspire the current and next generations. You will have to go a long way to find someone as utterly inspirational as Jenny and Jessica.” 

CROWN meets once a month at the Hive business hub on the second floor of the Spindles Shopping Centre. Learn more about it and Upturn by going to https://www.upturn.org.uk/en/