A tech team led by a former army lance corporal has ensured Hull 4 Heroes has the IT support it requires to further its vital work.
When a call for help from the veteran supporting charitable organisation caught the attention of HBP Systems account director and former Royal Signals soldier Tom Eaton, he was quick to step in. His extensive knowledge of IT systems and solutions was forged during his deployment to Afghanistan, having served Queen and country for six years prior to joining the Scunthorpe-headquartered business in 2017.
The combat support arm he was part of is among the first into action, providing battlefield communications. And on leaving he was also acutely aware of the lack of support on offer – making the opportunity to engage particularly poignant.
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“When I left the military, there was one person assigned to support service leavers across the North of the UK,” Tom said. “After many attempts to arrange a meeting, I gave up and essentially had to find my own way.
“This is why Hull 4 Heroes is so important to me, as they are providing the support needed, to prevent serving armed forces personnel, veterans and their families from suffering in silence.”
To support as many veterans as they can, Hull 4 Heroes needs to be able to connect with their colleagues and volunteers, but it was using inefficient processes to share data internally.
Paul Matson BEM, Hull 4 Heroes founder, said: “This system has quite simply transformed the way that we work, it’s allowed us to focus on what matters which is helping and supporting veterans. Every single person that we have worked with at HBP has been brilliant, they’ve helped us speed up everyday processes and they are just a phone call away if we ever have any questions. We cannot thank HBP enough for supporting us with everything they have done, they really are second-to-none.”
Following a detailed discovery session, a SharePoint system has now gone live, with automated expense management, modernised booking processes linked to their teams’ diaries, proper file structures with secure permissions, and much more provided.
Once the HBP Systems team managed the physical devices and domain, they provided one-on-one training to employees on how to access and use the system from any device with an internet connection.
It is seen as future-proofing the charity, while allowing them to reach and support more veterans.
Tom said: “The implementation of the new SharePoint is going to be so important for Hull 4 Heroes when it comes to reducing time-consuming processes and giving their employees much needed access to systems and data to support veterans, particularly whilst they’re on-the-go.
“To have the backing of HBP Systems to support a charity so close to my heart is really a testament to our leadership team and business and I’m delighted I got to be a part of it.”
The Scunthorpe-headquartered business expanded its North Bank presence with the purchase of a Hessle office in 2021 – expanding from Priory Tec Park where it had operated from since 2015. Hull-born managing director Joanne Partridge added: “We are so pleased to have been able to support Paul and the team with this project. Hull 4 Heroes offers aid to vulnerable veterans, and without help from the local community and businesses, they would struggle to continue to provide that crucial support.”
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