Ben marks new chapter in motor charity’s historical past

Motor trade charity Ben is marking its a hundred and twentieth birthday this month with a public reiterance that it’s right here to assist the wellbeing of anybody within the UK’s automotive sector.

And it has large ambitions: to treble the variety of folks it helps, to drastically enhance its consciousness throughout the automotive neighborhood, and to ramp up its fundraising.

To mark a brand new chapter in Ben’s existence, and to introduce its senior management group and its imaginative and prescient for the long run, it invited virtually 200 trade executives and Ben supporters to a particular occasion this week.

Ben is within the technique of divesting of its retirement village and care properties, which it has operated for many years, to ensure that it to reinvest the funds raised and focus much more on the day by day well being and wellbeing of extra folks instantly linked to the motor trade.

On the coronary heart of Ben’s evolution is its new imaginative and prescient assertion of the world the charity needs to affect: An automotive household that thinks nicely, feels nicely, lives nicely, and works nicely.

Steve Nash, who chairs Ben’s board of trustees, highlighted the immense modifications within the automotive trade because the level when Ben started, previous to the arrival of the welfare state and NHS, as a benevolent fund supported by beneficiant benefactors with a view to assist staff who fell on laborious instances.

“120 years is a very long time to be serving our automotive neighborhood, and we proceed to be absolutely dedicated to rising, evolving and assuring that we’re responding to the wants of our automotive household,” Nash stated. 

Providers resembling counselling and mentoring, supporting folks in growing wholesome existence and in managing their psychological well being are very important on this trade and Ben gives these and extra.

Ben’s annual well being and wellbeing survey, launched in Could this 12 months, highlighted that psychological well being scores had worsened 12 months on 12 months, with stress being attributable to lengthy hours, low staffing ranges and excessive workloads. 

And lots of within the automotive household are nonetheless discovering it laborious to deal with elevated prices of residing. One in 5 of the respondents is fighting money owed.

Ben’s chief govt Rachel Clift stated: “Our a hundred and twentieth birthday has been a time to replicate on the unimaginable influence Ben has had through the years, in addition to taking time to look forward. We’re embracing the street forward with ambition and function, launching a future imaginative and prescient that can empower our automotive household to dwell their finest lives.

“That is about driving a brand new period of well being and wellbeing throughout our trade, specializing in the rising well being and wellbeing wants of those that work (or have labored) within the automotive trade and their households.

“We have now dedicated to considerably scaling our well being and wellbeing companies over the following 5-10 years, enhancing our preventative assist and persevering with to offer responsive assist.

“Our care and village companies had been an integral and valued a part of Ben for over 70 years; nonetheless, our future now focuses on the well being and wellbeing wants of our automotive household.

“As we glance forward, we are going to proceed to work intently with employers, companions, and trade leaders to make sure the well being and wellbeing of automotive staff stays a shared precedence. All of us have a accountability to take care of one another, our automotive household, in order that we will create a robust, resilient trade prepared for the long run.”

• Coming later this month – AM’s full interview with Ben chief govt Rachel Clift.