Automotive industry charity Ben is launching its ‘Christmas families project’ for another year.
The scheme, now in its fifth outing, helps to support families who might otherwise have to make impossible choices about heating or eating and whether they can afford Christmas gifts.
Ben’s Christmas families 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 Christmas families project started in December 2020 in response to the COVID-19 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.
Christmas families project reaches out
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 Christmas families project, including 120 children. It is expected that the charity will help even more people this year. Here are some quotes from families that Ben supported in 2023:
“Thank you so much for the food vouchers, it will make a huge difference to our Christmas. It has been a really hard year, but this will lift the whole family, we have some treats to make it more special.”
“Thank you so much for the Christmas support. The food vouchers will make an amazing difference. It has been a long road this year and Christmas seemed impossible to reach but we got here with some great help. Although we have had lows, Ben has given us some highs. Now we will have a great Christmas day with treats, dinner and the kids will have some lovely presents.”
“I am so overwhelmed by Ben’s kindness that I just burst out crying. You’ve made us so happy in what’s been a rough time. I can’t thank you and everyone at Ben enough for what you’ve done.”
Support this Christmas and beyond
Rachel Clift, Chief Executive Officer at Ben, said: “We are incredibly proud to have helped hundreds of automotive people through our Christmas families project over the past four years. Of course, Ben is not just for Christmas, we are here for automotive people all year round and we help thousands of families each year. 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 are here for those struggling or in crisis. We provide life-changing and, often life-saving, support to many families and individuals who cannot afford the basics, and we urge people to contact our helpline.
“We want everyone in the automotive industry to know that Ben is here for them. Please do not struggle alone, get in touch today.”
Ben is there for automotive industry people this Christmas so if you work, or have worked, in the automotive industry, they urge you to get in touch now if you are at breaking point via their free and confidential helpline. Do not suffer in silence, contact 08081 311 333 or use the webchat at www.ben.org.uk.
If you would like to show your support for Ben and your automotive family, visit www.ben.org.uk/supportBen.
To anyone in the industry who is struggling with cost-of-living pressures or finds themselves in crisis, please reach out to Ben, your automotive industry charity. Ben is here to help. When any member of our automotive family is struggling or in crisis, we all rally to support them.
