Ben has announced its recent rallying cry for support to industry leaders has resulted in around £0.5m worth of pledges.
The appeal for support came at a time where Ben had seen a 50% increase in service demand against a £1m income shortfall.
So far, a number of companies across the industry including TrustFord, Arnold Clark, Auto Trader, Motorvise, Marshall Motor Group, CDK, MC Group Ltd, Hills Ford and Chorley Motor Group have answered Ben’s rallying cry and pledged their support.
Companies are reportedly 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.
Automotive companies are pledging to do three things for Ben:
- Be an advocate for Ben, ensuring the message of support is promoted widely within their business so everyone knows they are never alone
- Encourage colleagues to support Ben through Payroll Giving, Ben’s Lucky Lotto and its fundraising products and events
- Dig even deeper as a business to help address the £1m shortfall
The charity has announced it will also be launching Do It 4 Ben, a new way for anyone in the industry to get involved and help ensure no one in the automotive industry 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. More details on this will be released soon.
To Do It 4 Ben, including Ben’s NEW Lucky Lotto, visit www.ben.org.uk/support-us.
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.
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.
“We are VERY excited about the launch of Do It 4 Ben, including our new lotto and an exciting virtual event taking place in January next year, which is something the whole industry can get behind! When you Do It 4 Ben, you help ensure no one in automotive has to face life’s toughest challenges alone. Do It 4 Ben so no one in automotive faces difficulty alone. Thank you – together we’ll always be there when people need us the most. Together, we can help change lives.”
