Auto Trader donates £55k to Ben

Auto Trader has made a £55,000 donation to automotive charity Ben and supported the Ben Ball as headline sponsor.

It marks the second consecutive year Auto Trader has made a December donation to the charity and comes at a time when Ben is experiencing record demand for its services, which includes vital support for a range of issues, including mental and physical health, poverty, domestic abuse and homelessness.

Last month, the charity launched a Christmas appeal to raise £500,000 to ensure it can support the record numbers of people calling on its services this year.

During 2021, Ben has seen a 147% increase in demand for support as more people than ever before turn to the charity with issues ranging from mental and physical health to poverty, domestic abuse, homelessness and more.

Auto Trader also supported the Ben Ball, which after two-years made a return to The Roundhouse in London on December 8.

Auto Trader’s CEO Nathan Coe (pictured) said: “Over the course of nearly two years, the industry has shown incredible resilience in the face of unprecedented challenges. While we can all be grateful for how well our industry has performed over this period, we must not lose sight of the profound impact the pandemic has had on many of our colleagues and friends.

“Without Ben’s remarkable commitment, I have no doubt that the industry would have struggled to respond so effectively to Covid. As the numbers calling on its services this year reaches record levels, donations and support from all of us in the automotive industry has never been more important. I hope this donation on behalf of all of us at Auto Trader will help Ben in its efforts to provide life-changing support to those facing crisis.”

In the spring of next year, Auto Trader will launch a major fund raising campaign to further support Ben, which will be open to all organisations and individuals across the industry. More information will be made available soon.

Matt Wigginton, fundraising director at Ben, said: “Since we started working more closely with Auto Trader last year our partnership has flourished. Their people have become advocates, champions and volunteers, supporting our work in many ways, for which we are incredibly grateful. The generous donation, made to our Christmas Appeal, will help us to support many more people at a time when they need Ben more than ever. We already have big plans for joint projects in 2022 and we’re excited to continue working with the Auto Trader team.”