In 1995 Friends of Dolphin Manor started a support group to raise funds to purchase a minibus for Dolphin Manor residents.
In 1997 we became a registered charity and applied for lottery funding. We realized that in order to secure funding we would have to expand the use of the minibus and offer support to a wider community. In 1999 the National Lottery Charities Board awarded a grant of £48,000 over three years to set up a community transport scheme. The money was used to pay for a new minibus, build a garage and booking office and employ a part-time worker.
By 2004 we were working with a lot of different groups in Leeds, so decided to change our name to FDM – For Disability Mobility – and amend our objectives. We now operate a community transport project in the south of Leeds area (LS10, LS11, LS25, LS26, LS27 and WF3).
In 2007 we purchased a new Renault Master that has been specially adapted, including a lift at the rear. September 2016 saw our new 16 seater minibus visable on the roads of Leeds. The Department of Transport Community Transport Fund provided this in order to increase our capacity and comfort for our members. The handover of the bus took place at Iveridge Hall, Oulton, Leeds. Thank you to the staff at Iveridge Hall for their kind hospitality.
In October 2017 we celebrated our 20th year of serving the local community. We were very pleased to welcome our patrons to the venet to celebrate with frineds old and new.
