More than half of the calls to motor industry charity Ben’s helpline in 2018 were about mental health issues.

Ben, which helps current and former automotive sector workers and their families, has published its annual impact report which shows more than 3,000 people contacted its helpline during the year, and over 13,000 accessed online support content.

The charity also reports a 29% increase in the number of cases managed by Ben’s support services team.

Mental health concerns were involved in 52% of all helpline cases, up from 29% the prior year.

Separately, Ben’s industry study has found that nine in 10 automotive employees have been affected by a health and wellbeing issue in the last year.

Most commonly reported are inability to sleep well and home- or work-related stress.

Support from more than 250 organisations and many individuals in the industry – including attendees to the AM Awards and AM100 Dinner – help to provide fundraising income of £3.36m for Ben in the year.

Zara Ross, Ben’s Chief Executive, said: “We are very grateful to each and every person and company for their loyal, continued support in what has been a challenging year for many.

“However you’ve supported Ben this year, thank you – with your help we have provided life-changing support to thousands of automotive industry people. For that, we can’t thank you enough.”