Automotive charity Ben handled more than 14,000 support enquiries last year as demand for wellbeing and financial help increased across the sector.
Ben is publishing its ‘Year in Numbers’ review to highlight how many people it has supported.
The charity responded to 14,377 enquiries between April 2025 and March 2026, while directly supporting 3,421 people through tailored health, wellbeing and financial support services.
The charity said the figures reflected growing pressures facing automotive employees, including stress, bereavement, financial hardship and challenges balancing work and personal life.
Mental health and financial pressures drive support demand
During the year, Ben delivered 7,048 direct support interventions, including information and guidance services, financial advice, therapy sessions and digital mental health support.
A total of 1,605 people received benefits advice and financial guidance, while 573 grants were awarded to individuals experiencing hardship.
Ben Therapy supported 468 individuals, while 263 people received life coaching support. The charity also recorded 528 activations of SilverCloud, its digital mental health support platform.
Ben said satisfaction levels across its services averaged 95%.
The charity also reported continued growth in demand for online support resources, with more than 52,000 website visitors and 77,000 support page views during the year.
Mental health content was among the most viewed online resources, alongside guidance on redundancy rights, financial advice and interview skills.
Ben has also launched a new mental health self-assessment tool on its website in response to increasing demand for wellbeing support.
Ben targets wider awareness and employer engagement
Alongside supporting individuals, Ben continued working with automotive employers through workplace training, health checks and urgent response services.
During the year, 445 people completed Ben training courses, including Managing Mental Health in the Workplace and Mental Health First Aid programmes.
The charity also provided urgent support to 59 individuals following traumatic incidents, including bereavement, suicide and serious accidents.
Rachel Clift, chief executive 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.”
Clift said the charity believes many more people across the sector could benefit from support but awareness remains a challenge.
She said: “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.”
Ben has set a target to treble its charitable reach by 2030.
Clift 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.”