The Charitable Driving School
Driving Equality provides limited free spaces to those who need essential driving skills but cannot afford professional support. Our mission is to assist these individuals and look after our local communities by making quality driving education accessible to all.
What our beneficiaries and students say about us
"Driving Equality are calm and confident teachers who can help you learn to drive regardless of any other circumstances like anxiety. The supportive environment really makes a difference!"
Hetvi, 17
"I've spent years completely terrified of driving, but Driving Equality helped give me the confidence to unlock my independence. I couldn't recommend them highly enough."
Jay, 31
"I was a very nervous driver but Driving Equality made me feel comfortable at the wheel. They were patient and helped me to pass my test - I’m still using the skills they gave me."
Kira, 20
"Terry at Driving Equality has made me feel welcome as a mature student and has helped me work through my driving nerves. I couldn’t have asked for a better teacher!"
Mike, 65
"I had a great experience learning with Terry at Driving Equality. His patience and professionalism made learning to drive a really enjoyable experience."
Clark, 28
"Thanks to Driving Equality I passed my driving test first go! I had an amazing instructor who taught me a lot in a few months, and kept me calm the whole time."
Zeynap, 17
"Driving Equality are outstanding! Their patience and calmness truly set them above and beyond. I felt thoroughly prepared for my driving test and passed with ease within 3 months"
William, 28
"When I first started driving I was relatively nervous, but then I found Terry - he made me feel very relaxed and explained everything and driving with him became a breeze - 10/10!"
Enya, 26
"Thank you for being the best instructor ever! With your guidance and patience you taught me the skills to become a safe driver and gave me confidence to overcome my fear."
Claudia, 19
How our driving charity works
Our aim in establishing Driving Equality has always been to provide equal opportunities to all members of our local community, regardless of their individual circumstances. We fulfil this objective through providing free driving tuition and assistance with the associated fees.
Holding a full driving licence affords a wealth of opportunities which are otherwise inaccessible to the less privileged members of society. We are seeking to create positive change by helping more individuals to unlock these opportunities for themselves
There are many people whose independence is restricted by factors such as finances, poor health and caring responsibilities. In assisting these individuals on their driving journey, we can enable them to achieve a higher quality of living.
The benefits of becoming a qualified driver include increased autonomy, job opportunities and security. This status also offers the capacity for people to better access their social support network, regardless of location.
We liaise with other local charities to identify potential students who would benefit from having the ability to drive but are unable to afford the costs associated with professional tuition. All our instructors are required to provide 30 hours of their time every year to support eligible students.
As a charitable unincorporated association, we require very little funding as the main cost is our time, which we freely give.
We also support eligible students through assisting with licensing and test fees. The necessary funds are predominantly donated by past students who wish to continue supporting our cause.
We have identified a range of local charities to handle our referrals for free lessons. We are unable to accept self-referrals. As a driving school we are not equipped to make the necessary need based or financial assessments. This approach ensures we remain unbiased and our support is targeted to those with the greatest need.
We are currently targeting our support towards young carers. We feel this approach is optimal as it provides immediate and long-term benefits for both the carers and those they care for. Due to the high interest in this initiative, we are no longer disclosing the details of our charitable partners to prevent them from suffering unnecessary disruption.
We contact our partners as lessons become available, they will only ever consider their existing service users for a referral.
Currently we don’t accept direct referrals regardless of circumstance. We rely on our partnered charity’s to provide these. However, if you are someone in need, we would highly encourage you to make contact with a relevant service or charity to receive support and advice.
Again, we are currently not accepting direct referrals even if it's on behalf of somebody else. If you believe that you know someone who is in need and you feel that they can meet the criteria of a relevant charity, we would highly encourage you to either contact the charity on their behalf or get the individual to reach out personally to gain support and advice.
We are happy to accept donations to help us cover the costs of the following elements of the learning process:
License Fee: £34
Theory Revision Kit: £20
Theory Test: £23
Driving Test: £62
If you decide to donate to help us provide some of these materials, please do so at the link Click to donateHERE. Any amount you decide to give will be gratefully received.
We do not operate a waiting list for the charity referrals. As spaces become available, we contact our partners who will identify who would benefit most from the lessons. This is to ensure we can make the most meaningful impact as personal circumstances change.
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