• Customers can bring a friend for free on any tour from 1 - 30 September 2015

(TRAVPR.COM) UK - August 21st, 2015 - To mark the fifth birthday of its award-winning tours with homeless and formerly homeless guides, Unseen Tours is inviting people to try any of its tours for just a 'fiver' per person - half the usual £10 ticket price - under a 'bring a friend for free' promotion that will run throughout September.

The not-for-profit social enterprise offers walking tours through six of London's most interesting neighbourhoods, including Brick Lane, Brixton, Camden, Covent Garden, Shoreditch and London Bridge. 60% of the ticket price goes straight to the guide, with the rest covering the organisation's running costs.

Since it launched in 2010, Unseen Tours has supported 16 homeless and formerly homeless individuals to get back on their feet. Three of the original cohort of guides - Henri, Viv and Hazel - continue to lead tours for the company, while others have used the opportunity as a stepping stone into alternative employment (with mainstream tour companies and other organisations), or have since moved away from London after reconnecting with their families.  

Henri came to London to study for a degree in interior design, before working as a painter and decorator for several years. He married and bought a home, but became homeless when his relationship ended. He has been leading the 'Shoreditch Street Art, Street Cred' tour for the last five years. "Before I started to work with Unseen Tours, I was living on the streets of Shoreditch," Henri explains. "I was very happy when I was offered the opportunity to lead tours in the area, because it gave me a way to earn a regular income and to help change perceptions of people who are homeless.

"The reality is, it can happen to any one of us, for all sorts of reasons, and we don't all fit the homeless stereotype. Working as a guide for Unseen Tours has changed my life. I still lead tours around the area of London that I know and love best, but now I am renting and I'm hopeful about what the future holds."

To celebrate Unseen Tours' fifth birthday, it is running a special promotion throughout September. Customers who book a standard ticket in advance can bring a friend along for free, effectively reducing the cost of the tour to £5 per person. There is no need to enter an offer code at the point of booking, or to notify the guide in advance - for every person who books a standard priced ticket, one friend can simply show up for free. Tours can be booked at unseentours.co.uk

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Notes to editors
Bring a friend for free promotion does not apply to concession tickets. High-res images, review tours and interviews with guides are available on request.

About Unseen Tours
Unseen Tours is an award-winning, not-for-profit social enterprise founded in 2010. It offers alternative walking tours through London's most vibrant and interesting neighbourhoods, with homeless and formerly homeless guides. As well as winning a Responsible Tourism Award and an Observer Ethical Award, the tours get excellent reviews on Tripadvisor and offer a unique insight into London life - while giving visibility and a voice to people who often feel unseen and unheard. For more information visit unseentours.co.uk

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