Ben’s Christmas lifeline for automotive families

Automotive industry charity Ben is launching its ‘Christmas families project’ for another year, supporting families who might otherwise have to make impossible choices about heating or eating and whether they can afford Christmas gifts.

Now in its fifth year, the project keeps roofs over heads, lights on, food on tables, as well as putting gifts under trees for those feeling cost-of-living pressures.

The project started in December 2020 in response to the Covid pandemic when many more automotive families were struggling to afford the basics at a more expensive time of year.

Since then, with Ben’s support, hundreds of automotive families have been able to pay their basic living costs, give Christmas gifts to their children and have a festive lunch together.

Ben supports thousands of automotive people each year. Over the past four years, almost 700 adults and children have benefitted from Ben’s Christmas families project. Since 2020, Ben has seen these figures grow by 208%.

Last year, Ben supported 265 automotive families through the project, including 120 children. It is expected that the charity will help even more people this year.

Rachel Clift, CEO at Ben, said: “We’re incredibly proud to have helped hundreds of automotive people through our Christmas families project over the past four years.

‘Tough times’

“At a more expensive time of year, we want to make sure no automotive family goes without the opportunity to have a Christmas meal together and a gift for their children.

“We recognise that times are still really tough for many. No-one in our automotive family should face homelessness or have to make impossible decisions about whether they can afford to put food on the table or heat their homes. We’re here for those struggling or in crisis. We provide life-changing and, often life-saving, support to many families and individuals who can’t afford the basics and we urge people to contact our helpline.”

Clift urged anyone in the industry who is struggling with cost-of-living pressures or finds themselves in crisis, to contact Ben.

If you work, or have worked, in the automotive industry, we urge you to get in touch now if you’re at breaking point via our free and confidential helpline, Clift said. Don’t suffer in silence, contact our helpline: 08081 311 333 or use our webchat at www.ben.org.uk.

One family supported by Ben in 2023 said: “Thank you so much for the food vouchers, it will make a huge difference to our Christmas. It’s been a really hard year, but this will lift the whole family, we have some treats to make it more special.”

If you would like to show your support for Ben and your automotive family, visit www.ben.org.uk/supportBen.