Hull Trains supports veterans with trips to the capital
Fri 11th November 2022
Whether it’s for meetings with the government or to pay respects to the Queen, Hull Trains has supported the charity, Hull 4 Heroes, to get them where they need to be.
The charity was founded in November 2016 by veteran, Paul Matson, who took time out from his busy schedule to pay a heartfelt thanks to the team at Hull Trains.
He said: “Hull Trains have been a great support to all of us at Hull 4 Heroes. Their staff are second-to-none and always go above and beyond whenever we travel on their services. The first time we travelled with them we had standard tickets, but the onboard manager called us out and took us straight through to first class!
“They can never help us enough and there’s a great feeling on the train and in the stations, they really are a big part of the community. I’d like to thank them on behalf of all our veterans for the help they have given us over the years.”
After returning home from his time in the Armed Forces in 2016, Paul found himself homeless and struggling on Civvy Street. With the support of others, he eventually got back on his feet and secured a job in the building trade which led to him volunteering on BBC’s ‘DIY SOS’ working on the Veteran Street project in Manchester.
Inspired by his experiences, he spotted some derelict houses in his hometown of Hull and decided to call for help to start his own renovation project, which soon led to him founding Hull 4 Heroes.
Powered by the support from local people, businesses, and the local council of Hull and East Riding, the charity has managed to secure funding from the government and travels regularly with Hull Trains to attend meetings at the House of Commons. They recently met with the Minister of State for the Armed Forces and Veterans.
The group made headlines this year when Paul along with 15 military veterans travelled on Hull Trains’ services to London to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II. They visited Buckingham Palace, Westminster, and Green Park, where they laid flowers.
Martijn Gilbert, Managing Director of Hull Trains, added: “Charities and volunteers play a vital role to the people of Hull and surrounding areas so we are pleased to help out in any way we can. We thank Hull 4 Heroes for all that they do in the local community, and we look forward to welcoming them onboard our services in the future.”
Hull Trains are offering free Standard Class travel to serving military personnel and veterans attending Remembrance services on Sunday 13th November. People can travel to any London Terminal station on 12th or 13th of November, returning on the 13th of November, in uniform or with a Ministry of Defence issued ID card.
Services may be busy, so it is recommended that seats are reserved via a booking office or by emailing customer.services@hulltrains.co.uk with your origin and destination, time of the train, and the number of travellers. You can find more information on the scheme here: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/remembrance-sunday.aspx.
