With the winter nights having well and truly drawn in and the party season in full swing, its important to remember to keep safe when you’re out and about socialising.

Coming to Wimbledon in January is ‘Fight Like a Girl’, the self defence class for females.

It’s just one of the courses on offer from The Catapult Club, a business which offers personal development workshops and retreats, created by sisters Louise and Emelie Olsson.

“We have a great self defence expert who runs ‘Fight Like a Girl’,” says Louise. “He used to be a clinical nurse and works with offenders so he comes with an interesting perspective.”

The one day course aims to teach assertiveness and physical defence using verbal scenarios and role play.

Louise thinks that all too often, women are afraid of offending people in potentially vulnerable situations; “Women have an incredible sixth sense and we shouldn’t be afraid of using it. We have the right to assert ourselves and shouldn’t be apologetic if we feel threatened.”

The Catapult Club won the Pioneer category at the Girls! Make Your Mark Awards, and offers an alternate to the agonising navel gazing of some ‘therapy’ workshops: “We run three day ‘Life Launcher’ get aways where we have loads of fun, drink cocktails and meet like minded people. We are not about being penitent and only eating one mung bean!” laughs Louise.

Fight Like a Girl takes place on Saturday the 17th January in Wimbledon from 9.30am to 5pm. Cost is £150 including lunch. To book, call 020 8675 2137, email info@thecatapultclub.com or visit www.thecatapultclub.com.

They may be obvious, but its easy to forget, especially after a few Christmas tipples! Here’s our top five tips on staying safe this party season.

1) At night avoid danger-spots like subways, parks, alleyways or unlit car parks. Take the route you know best and stick to well-lit and busier streets. Look confident in your walk and demeanour, attackers will chose victims who look like an easy target.

2) Trust your instincts. If you think you are being followed, do something about it. With as much confidence as you can muster, cross the road and look behind you to see who is there. If you are still being followed, cross the road again. Keep walking and head for a busy place or somewhere you can get help.

3) If someone gets too close, take a step back and tell them to move away. The most important thing is to protect your personal space. Use your voice as a weapon - Screaming will help attract attention and unnerve a potential attacker.

4) Repetition, Repetition, Repetition – if someone won’t leave you alone don’t get into conversation, simply repeat the same phrase over and over (for example, “What do you want?”). It will be very difficult for them to persevere with the conversation. It also shows you are not prepared to be an easy victim.

5) Don’t use unlicensed mini cabs. Book a cab over the phone and check the driver’s name and company when he arrives. Always try to share a taxi with a friend if possible.