Geoffrey Atkinson OBE, former chief executive of BEN, the benevolent fund for the automotive industry, has said he has been shocked by the open hostility expressed by some charity leaders to the Charity Employees' Benevolent Fund, the sector’s sole support charity for voluntary sector employees.

The Charity Employees' Benevolent Fund (CEBF) faces closure in September as a result of lack of support from the charity sector.

Atkinson, in a letter to the CEBF seen by civilsociety.co.uk, warmly thanks the organisation for its work "despite the apathy it has encountered".

"I was sometimes really shocked by the open hostility expressed by some charity leaders that I met," he says.

"Perhaps the unique part of the charity sector is that there seems to be none of the fraternity between them that exists within other employment sectors."

He continues: “It saddens me deeply that, thanks to the lack of understanding, fraternity and sympathy shown towards their staff by so many charity leaders, members of the massive voluntary workforce will still be denied the warmth and skilled personal care that I have witnessed being offered by so many of Britain's benevolent funds.”

Atkinson was chief executive at the Motor and Allied Trades benevolent fund, known as BEN. He is now retired but retains close ties to the charity sector. 

CEBF, which launched in 2009, has helped around 260 charity employees and their families. However, it has struggled to build support from the charity sector.

CEBF’s charity supporters include the NSPCC, New Philanthropy Capital, NCVO and Victim Support, which have pledged £1 or £3 per employee to the charity.