Health and wellbeing charity Ben says demand for support is growing in automotive industry

Automotive industry charity Ben supported 3,421 people over the past year – indicating  that demand for mental health, financial and wellbeing support continued to grow across the sector. 

The charity’s latest Year in Numbers report shows it responded to 14,377 enquiries between April 2025 and March 2026, reflecting increasing pressures on people working across the automotive industry.  

Ben delivered 7,048 direct support interventions during the year, including benefits advice, financial guidance, life coaching and mental health support. The charity awarded 573 financial grants to people experiencing hardship, while 468 individuals received support through Ben Therapy and 263 accessed life coaching services.  

The figures highlight the growing link between financial wellbeing, mental health and workplace resilience, with many people seeking support for stress, bereavement, financial difficulties and the challenges of balancing work and home life.  

Demand for digital support also remained high. Ben recorded more than 52,000 website visitors and 77,000 views of its support pages during the year. Mental health resources were the most frequently accessed content, alongside information on redundancy rights, financial advice and interview skills.  

The charity said these trends reflect continued demand for both emotional wellbeing support and practical guidance as workers navigate economic uncertainty and career change. Ben has also launched a mental health self-assessment tool in response to growing interest in mental health support.  

Alongside individual support, Ben continued working with employers to strengthen workplace wellbeing across the automotive sector. During the year, 445 people completed Ben training courses, including Managing Mental Health in the Workplace and Mental Health First Aid programmes. A further 59 people received support through the charity’s urgent response service following traumatic incidents such as workplace deaths, suicides and serious accidents.  

Rachel Clift, chief executive of Ben, said the figures demonstrate both the impact of the charity’s work and the scale of unmet need across the industry. 

She 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 added that awareness remains a significant challenge and outlined Ben’s ambition to treble its charitable reach by 2030 so that more people know where to turn for support before problems escalate into crisis.