Ford Retail and ACF Car Finance have both committed to supporting the Dealers Backing BEN campaign.

The campaign was launched in the middle of June and allows participating dealers to contribute £1 to the motor industry charity from the sale proceeds of each car sold through auction.

Marshall Motor Group was the first to sign up to the campaign. Lookers and Sytner are also part of Dealers Backing BEN.

Chris Hayden, chairman and chief executive officer of Ford Retail Group, said: “Although we are already keen supporters of BEN this is a very well structured fundraising initiative that makes it easy for any dealer to participate in, as such we thought it was definitely worth investing in to further cement the relationship with our industry charity.”

ACF, the specialist sub-prime car dealer, has eight used vehicle sites across the UK and already supports BEN through payroll giving and fundraising events.

Norman Beaumont, sales and marketing director of ACF Car Finance, said: “The simplicity of this scheme makes the decision to join Dealers Backing BEN a very easy one.

"We would encourage those dealers who don’t currently support their industry charity to take a look at this and support the people in our industry who need it the most. Collectively, dealers working together on this would make a huge difference to BEN.”