Ben publishes annual Impact Report

Ben has published its Impact Report 2017-18 revealing that increasingly more people of working age (87%) are contacting Ben for support with big issues such as low income, anxiety and depression.

Other reasons why people contacted Ben for help were varied; from bereavement to redundancy and debt to loneliness. However, financial and mental health challenges remain the most common reasons people contact Ben’s helpline or visit the support pages of its website.

During the year, Ben helped people in need access over £865,000 worth of benefits that they were entitled to. Ben also organised counselling sessions for 151 people with issues including depression and anxiety. As part of its support offering, Ben also helped people in several other ways, including organising emergency food and shelter payments, helping them to manage income as well as supporting them through loneliness and relationship breakdowns.

The report also outlines that, thanks to the continued support from both companies and individuals in the industry, Ben’s fundraising income totalled an impressive £4.23m. Corporate events played a big part in income generation – the JLR English Channel Swim raised a huge £214,644 and the Ben Ball raised an impressive £336,529.

In order for Ben to help more individuals, raising awareness within the industry and reaching these people through companies, is vital. Through Ben4Business, which launched in 2017, Ben has worked with 143 companies to support their commitment to the health and wellbeing of their employees and to raise awareness; visiting 356 different automotive industry workplaces, engaging directly with over 15,000 employees.

A big part of Ben4Business is BenTraining, which also launched in 2017, consisting of mental health training for managers and mental health masterclasses for employees. So far, Ben has trained 693 people from 24 companies about mental health and 93% of these people said they would recommend it to others.

Zara Ross, Ben’s chief executive, said, ‘We are very grateful to all of our supporters who have helped raise awareness and funds to enable us to continue supporting the automotive industry and its people. You play a crucial role in enabling us to provide life-changing support to many people each year and you make it possible for us to deliver a positive impact to the industry. We couldn’t continue to do our work without you.’