Car retail group leaders from JCT600 and Marshall Motor Group have successfully completed their trek up Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of the automotive charity Ben.

JCT600 director of customer experience Andy Bateman teamed-up with Vauxhall Bradford dealership manager James Tordoff as Marshall commercial development director Adrian Wallington and franchise director Clive McGregor took on the epic seven-day expedition as part of a £300,000 sponsorship drive.

And the team today (November 28) celebrated success ahead of a return flight to the UK.

Taking to Twitter to share his thoughts, Marshall’s Wallington said: “We are all now safely down with few hours rest before our flight home to see our families. It’s been a tough and emotional seven days so please take a moment to donate.”

Paying tribute to those that helped Ben’s team of automotive leaders to the top of Kilimanjaro, Wallington added: “We only all made it to the summit because we are a team and the support of our incredible Tanzanian guide team.”

Ben’s trek, part of the charity’s annual Industry Leader Challenge (ILC) initiative, was originally scheduled to take place in 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A total of 15 teams tackle heat, freezing temperatures and the effects of altitude as they trekked over 90km and climbed 5,895m to complete the challenge, which got underway on November 21.

Among the other who took place were:

• Ben – Zara Ross, Matt Wigginton, and Rachel Clift
• Partners& and Lawgistics – Leon Bosch and Joel Combes
• Hella – Neil Grant and Spencer Grinham
• LKQ Euro Car Parts – Andy Hamilton and Anthony McAteer
• Haymarket – Rachael Prasher and Jim Holder

This week Ben launched its 2022 Health & Wellbeing survey in a bid to tailor its support for automotive sector employees in 2023.

The automotive sector charity is asking people to share their experience of challenges they have experienced over the past 12 months by completing the 10-minute survey.

It comes as car retail bosses across the UK focus on the health and wellbeing of staff battling with pressures on their household finances alongside the sector’s own overhead pressures, alongside vehicle and parts supply issues.

Rachel Clift, health and wellbeing director at Ben, said: “Our Health & Wellbeing survey is crucial as it gives us an overview of what is really going on in the automotive community, and allows us to focus our efforts on helping people in the right way with the right resources.

“We rely on this information to ensure support is getting to people who need it the most. It also enables us to develop our products and services in line with this fast-changing industry landscape.”

Last year’s Ben Health & Wellbeing survey indicated that:

• 94% of automotive workers were personally affected by a health and wellbeing issue over the 12-month period
• Stress was the most common issue in the 2021 survey, followed by anxiety and poor sleep
• One-in-three (32%) of those surveyed sought out support with their health and wellbeing from a colleague, manager or HR
• Anxiety and depression issues remain more common in the automotive industry than in the rest of the UK working population
• 60% of automotive workers are happy in their jobs

Clift said: “We want to encourage as many people as possible to take part in this year’s survey. It will help us to get a better understanding of how people are feeling right now, and, in turn, that enables us to get the best possible help to as many people as we can.

“Just 10 minutes of your time will make a massive difference to our research, and ultimately to the health and wellbeing of our automotive community.”

As explored in the October edition of AM Magazine, car retailers across the UK have been wrestling with the best strategy to help staff meet the challenges of the cost of living crisis in recent months.

Last week Livingstone Motor Group managing director Andrew Iveson issued Amazon vouchers to his entire workforce in a bid to ease the Christmas spending burden on the car retail business' staff.

Sandicliffe handed out a £500 one-off payment, while Mitchell Motor Group managing director Mark Mitchell told the recently-published 2022 AM100 report that it had issued a £1,000 to all its staff.

Ben’s support to automotive employees is free and confidential. Anyone in need of help can call its helpline on 08081 311 333 use its webchat service at www.ben.org.uk.

Out of hours text support can also be accessed by texting BEN to 58258.