A martial arts club in Stockport is offering free classes for disabled people.
People with disabilities can attend a free one-hour kickboxing class between 11am and 1 pm on Saturdays with their carer at Defcon Academy.
Andrew Baldock and his wife Gill opened Defcon in July 2024 and have used their passion to help disabled people by offering free mat time.
Having a daughter who is disabled, they both understand the time and financial difficulties of physical activity for people with disabilities.
Coach Baldock said: “This is something we’re passionate about and we wanted to do it for free.
“Parents and carers, they quite often don’t have [the] money to be able to take people here, there and everywhere.
“We want to give back to the community we’ve had support from and give something they traditionally wouldn’t be able to come and do.”
Andrew has been into martial arts all of his life ever since he took up taekwondo at school.
Outside of martial arts, Andrew also worked in retail.
His passion for care would shine through as he made sure to speak to disabled people as they came in and ensured they were comfortable in the store.
Follwing this he became a carer and further pursued his passion to help people with disabilities.
Feature Image Credit – Instagram – defcon_academy