A forward-thinking telecoms business looks set to raise thousands of pounds for a West Yorkshire charity dedicated to helping veterans.
National telecoms company UKPS Communications has befriended Huddersfield-based Tommy’s Voice and selected it as its chosen charity for the next two years.
It has brought out a special Tommy’s SIM card which will bring in £50 for Tommy’s Voice for each one sold and with 5,000 for sale that could ultimately raise £250,000. Connections with all four main operators - O2, EE, Vodafone and Three - are available with the SIM card.
Tommy’s Voice was set up in August 2024 to help and support army veterans, especially those struggling with their mental health or having problems getting benefits and housing.
Two Tommy’s Voice volunteers, Jennie Thorn and her mum, Sue Longbottom, are both trained mental health first aiders so can provide immediate help and support to people facing a mental health crisis.
Tommy’s Voice trustee Mick Riley MBE, a former Regimental Sergeant Major, said: “We are here for veterans and their families who are struggling in civilian life to give them immediate support and then get them the help they need.
Often they don’t know where to begin to access council services but we do and so can liaise directly with the council departments to ensure they get the vital support and benefits they are entitled to receive.”
The charity mainly helps veterans in West Yorkshire and Tommy’s Voice is based at Tommy’s Coffee Lounge on Railway Street next to St George’s Square in Huddersfield town centre.
It works closely with Kirklees Council which covers the large towns of Huddersfield and Dewsbury. Kirklees has signed the Armed Forces Covenant which means it takes its commitment to helping former armed forces personnel seriously and has an armed forces champion in every department which needs one.
The relationship works really well as the veterans turn to Tommy’s Voice for help and the charity knows who to contact to make things happen within the council, be that anything from housing and benefits to pensions.
One veteran in a mental health crisis was told he’d need to wait a year for counselling, but Tommy’s Voice managed to get him emergency help in just seven minutes as they realised his need was critical.
Mick added: “This sponsorship from UKPS Communications is a vital lifeline for our charity and, if people support it by buying the SIM cards, it will bring in many thousands of pounds and set the charity up for several years ahead. It’s a real game-changer for us.”
People can use the SIM cards in anything from mobile phones to iPads and even Wi-Fi boxes.
UKPS is providing 5,000 SIMs for sale which offer unlimited calls, texts and data for £25 a month and, with £50 from every connection going to Tommy’s Lounge, that could reap as much as £250,000.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Mick. “But UKPS want to make a big difference to a small charity that’s dedicated to helping veterans and what a massive difference their generosity and kindness will make."
Suicide rates among veterans are remarkably greater than their civilian peers. Tommy’s Voice provides a platform for veterans to speak, without judgement, to their peers who have walked the same walk, in the same places, with the same experiences. Non-clinical, no counselling, just a genuine person having a chat.
“If veterans need help with something else, we may not know how to do it ourselves, but we won’t stop until we find someone who does."
Anyone who buys a SIM card will make a direct impact helping a veteran. No-one at Tommy’s Voice is paid so all donations go directly to the cause.
UKPS Communications says: “Thousands of veterans, along with every supporter of our veterans and their families, can now proudly and directly influence the amount of direct support and rehabilitation that can be offered by Tommy’s Voice."
“It will help the brave men and women who have been left suffering with mental health crisis as a result of their dedicated service to protect our country, our freedoms and our way of life as we know it.
“We, as a country, owe a debt of gratitude and respect to those who have served and also to those who are currently serving within all our armed forces. It’s our honour and privilege to support Tommy’s Voice with this truly special offer, the Tommy’s SIM.”
To support Tommy’s Voice by getting a Tommy’s SIM, click here.
