It was unveiled by Mysterious Minds along with former professional footballer Micky Hazard who set up the charity Legend On The Bench with his sister Michelle
A Hull mental health charity proudly unveiled the first suicide prevention bench at Hessle Foreshore, in collaboration with former footballer Micky Hazard, on Thursday. Mysterious Minds, which donates money for funerals after deaths by suicide and offers support to bereaved families, has been fundraising for a bench since June.
Legend On The Bench is a charity conceived by the former Spurs and Chelsea player Hazard and his sister, Michelle, following the sad loss of his nephew, Jay. The benches light up and act as a ‘beacon of hope’, signposting users to 24/7 mental health support at times of crisis.
Mysterious Minds was co-founded by Chelsey Dalee after she sadly lost her former partner to suicide. Trustee, Dawn Stansfield, tragically lost her daughter, Mollie, when she fell from the roof of Princes Quay car park aged just 22.
Micky told the Hull Daily Mail: “We have installed a suicide prevention bench. It is a bench that offers people hope at the moment they need hope, the moment they are feeling down in a dark place.
“They arrive at this bench which is lit up beautifully throughout the night and that darkness turns to light. It has got telephone numbers for groups who specialise in this kind of situation.
“It has got a message that is lit up at night, that someone is always listening. There is a QR code which is a direct link to a website which gives all the help required to find someone to talk.
“I did a course, got qualified, and the course said when someone is in a dark place, they don’t really want to talk their life, they don’t want to do that. If we capture them at that moment and talk to them, we can save them.
“And that’s what this bench is offering. The moment that it’s needed, there is help there.”
The bench in Hessle joins more than 60 that have now been installed throughout the country since the movement began. If someone is seen sitting on the bench, people are encouraged to approach them and have a chat about anything that might be on their mind.