Charity Number: SC046606
Contact: General Enquiries
Address: New Haig Housing ,Logie Green Road, Edinburgh
Postcode: EH7 4HQ
Phone: 0141 266 6000
Email: info@fares4free.org
Summary: The charity’s bespoke service provides a person-centred journey and is split into three categories:
Medical - focusing on beneficiary requirements while attending hospital, mental health, or therapeutic based appointments.
Wellbeing - as they introduce their beneficiaries back into their local community and support them in the transition to start attending local activities, events, and volunteering opportunities.
Intelligent signposting and onward referrals - to over 50 collaborative partners supporting with any additional needs from financial guidance, home adaptations and available statutory services.
Their support helps to ensure attendance at all appointments and activities, helping to increase engagement to attend community-based events and complete treatment plans. This also helps improve mental health and wellbeing.
Summary of Holistic Work
Fares4Free, are more than just a transportation service. They are a community of professionally trained outreach support drivers and volunteers committed to supporting veterans and their families throughout Scotland. Their work is holistic, focusing on the overall well-being of their beneficiaries.
Their “More Than a Journey” model ensures that they facilitate transportation to essential, recreational, and therapeutic activity-based appointments. They aim to help all passengers engage repeatedly with the essential support they require whether its Hospital, Mental Health, therapeutic or on a wellbeing pathway of activities and events.
Their drivers are trained in Mental Health First Aid and ASSIST- Suicide Prevention trained and can provide a calming and safe environment for passengers, especially after tough appointments.
Finally, they are committed to combatting isolation, providing a friendly face and making every journey as enjoyable as possible. In essence, Fares4Free provide a supportive, inclusive, and empathetic environment that prioritises the mental and emotional well-being of their beneficiaries.
Merchant Navy and their families
Fares4Free are currently supporting 15 beneficiaries who served in the Merchant Navy and 6 MN family members. The charity has a strong tradition of supporting veterans of the Merchant Navy and no one epitomises this more than their own Arctic Convoy hero Jimmy Doherty, now 99 years of age. Fares4Free over the years have been proud to support Jimmy especially when he was invited as a guest of honour to unveil a memorial bench at the Glasgow Central Station War memorial