£0.5m pledged to Ben following rallying cry

Automotive charity, Ben, has received pledges worth around £0.5m following its recent rallying cry asking industry leaders for their urgent support.

The call for action came as the charity faces a 50% increase in service demand against a £1m income shortfall. 

So far, a number of companies across the industry have answered Ben’s rallying cry and pledged their support, including:

• TrustFord
• Arnold Clark
• Auto Trader
• Motorvise
• Marshall Motor Group
• CDK
• MC Group Ltd
• Hills Ford
• Chorley Motor Group

The charity reports companies are being creative with ideas such as donating this year’s Christmas party funds, ‘Charity of the month’ schemes and donations linked to survey responses or sales/profit.

Pledge

Automotive companies are pledging to do three things for Ben:

1. Be an advocate for Ben, ensuring the message of support is promoted widely within their business so everyone knows they are never alone
2. Encourage colleagues to support Ben through Payroll Giving, Ben’s Lucky Lotto and its fundraising products and events
3. Dig even deeper as a business to help address the £1m shortfall.

Do it 4 Ben

The charity is also launching Do It 4 Ben, an exciting new way for anyone in the industry to get involved and help ensure no-one in automotive has to face life’s toughest challenges alone. As part of Do It 4 Ben, the charity will launch a fun new virtual challenge event in January 2021 that everyone in the industry can get involved in.

To Do It 4 Ben, (including Ben’s NEW Lucky Lotto!) click here

All funds raised and donated will help automotive industry people improve their mental health, physical health and their wellbeing. It means Ben will be there to help in a crisis or if someone needs help with stress, anxiety, depression, money worries, or anything else. 

Support is vital

Now, more than ever, Ben’s support is vital. More and more automotive people are turning to Ben in financial hardship, or are struggling to cope with mental health issues and other life challenges including bereavement. 

Matt Wigginton, fundraising director at Ben, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed with the support from our industry so far in response to our urgent rallying cry – you’re all amazing! Every donation and offer of support makes a huge difference to people’s lives. From all at Ben and from those we support, I want to say a heartfelt thank you to those who have pledged their support.

“No-one in our industry should face difficulty alone. The issues automotive people are facing now are more urgent than ever before. Our support teams are at breaking point and we can’t meet everyone’s needs without this help.”