Automotive industry charity Ben has reported rising demand for health, wellbeing and financial support services, after responding to 14,377 enquiries between April 2025 and March 2026.
The charity said it directly supported 3,421 individuals during the year through tailored services covering mental health, financial hardship, bereavement, stress and work-life pressures. Across the period, Ben delivered 7,048 direct support interventions to people working across the automotive sector.
The charity provided benefits advice and financial guidance to 1,605 individuals, while 573 financial grants were awarded to people experiencing hardship. Ben Therapy supported 468 individuals, with a further 263 people receiving life coaching support.
Demand for digital services also remained high, with Ben recording more than 52,000 website visitors and 77,000 support page views during the year. Mental health support, redundancy advice and digital wellbeing tools were among the most frequently accessed resources.
Ben said it has now launched a new online mental health self-assessment tool in response to growing demand for support in this area.
The charity also continued supporting employers and workplaces through training, health checks and urgent response services. During the year, 445 individuals completed Ben training courses, including programmes focused on workplace mental health and wellbeing.
Rachel Clift, chief executive officer at Ben, said: “Our latest year in numbers shows both the difference Ben is making and the growing challenges facing people across the automotive industry. Every number represents a real person who reached out for support, whether because of mental health struggles, financial worries, bereavement, stress or uncertainty about the future.
“While we’re proud of the impact we’re having, we also know the need across the industry is far greater than the number of people currently accessing our services. Too many people still don’t know Ben is here for them. That’s why increasing awareness is such a major priority for us. We want everyone in automotive to know where they can turn for support, whatever they’re facing.”
Clift said Ben is aiming to treble its charitable impact by 2030 in order to reach more people across the automotive industry before issues escalate into crisis situations.
She added: “Our ambition is to treble our charitable impact by 2030 so we can help far more people earlier, before challenges escalate into crisis. We’ll continue evolving our services and working closely with industry partners to make that ambition a reality.”
