UR4Driving

UR4Driving was inspired by the ex-offenders who were on a work experience project by Mercers in the Upper Room funded in 2006.  Their experience revealed a general desire to learn to drive, that jobs in the transport/warehousing industries are often still open to those with a criminal record and thus a valid UK driving licence is, therefore, a de facto vocational qualification for an ex-offender.

The selected candidates are given a strict code of conduct, a personal mentor and a daily routine that begins in Phase 1, with 80 hours of volunteer shifts at the Upper Room’s Foodbank. This involves collecting surplus food from Whole Foods in Kensington and other stores, sorting it and running a regular redistribution service to other homeless day centres.   

This is a probationary period and those candidates who exhibit reliability, honesty and the ability to work in a team are rewarded by moving on to Phase 2 to commence driving instruction.

 

 

In order to qualify for a place on UR4Driving project you will need to have:

·         an offending background.

·         a current Provisional Licence.

·         obtained a Risk Assessment Letter from a Probation Officer or a person of similar authority, for example, a social worker.

 

 

Each calendar year we aim to get 30 people to attain a vehicle driving licence. However, demand is greater than the number of available places; we therefore prioritise candidates in accordance with the following categories:

 

·         1/3 of the places are reserved for Women;

·         1/3 of the places are reserved for people who are 18-25 years of age, and resident in the borough of Hammersmith & Fulham.

 

 

 

The scheme requires a total collaboration from all participants. We therefore require all candidates to:

 

·         sign and adhere to the scheme’s Code of Conduct.

·         complete 80 hours of mandatory voluntary work to advance to stage 2 of the scheme, which is free driving lessons and associate tests.

·         attend regular pre-employment training workshops at UR4Jobs, a sister project of UR4Driving.

 

 

If you think you meet the eligibility criteria and are interested in applying for a place, please contact us for an Application Form, Monday-Friday 10.00am-4.00pm. You must complete your Application Form and send it to: Bruce Marquart, UR4Driving project manager, The Upper Room, St Saviours Church, Cobbold Road, London W12 9LN. For more information on this, you can also contact Bruce by phone or email at: Tel: 020 8741 6550 (office number); 07967 328564 (mobile); email: infoupperroom@yahoo.co.uk

 

 

The Upper Room Foodbank provides a food collection and distribution service to charities who give meals and services to homeless people in west London.  And in some occasion the Foodbank also provides food parcels to individual and family who are in need.  

It is a complementary service managed within the UR4Driving project because so much of its logistics are accomplished by ex-offenders who are in the UR4Driving programme.

As part and parcel of the Foodbank activity we have campaigns like the Harvest Festival each year to collect food from schools and churches and as a result the Foodbank has grown significantly over the last three years. For example, over 8,000 children participated after hearing the message about ‘Helping Hands for Hungry People’.

 

Whole Foods store in Kensington is also a major contributor to our Foodbank and it has announced that the Upper Room as its Foodbank partner and a recipient of its ‘5% Day’ charity activities.