Mental health bench to be a ‘beacon of hope’

A bench to encourage people to talk about their mental health has been unveiled in East Yorkshire.

The seating has been installed by two charities – Legend on the Bench and Mysterious Minds – near a wellbeing hub at the Humber Bridge Country Park in Hessle.

It features inspirational messages, helpline numbers and a solar panel designed to shine a light from dusk until dawn.

Dawn Stansfield, trustee at Mysterious Minds, said: “I want it [the bench] to be a beacon of light and hope for people and encourage them to seek support.”

The bench was unveiled by former Spurs and Chelsea footballer Micky Hazard who started the Legend on the Bench charity after his nephew took his own life in 2019.

The footballer said he hoped the seat would remove the stigma of talking about mental health and wanted people who use it to help others.

He said: “It [the bench] features everything anyone would need to get support and the most important message is that someone is always listening.”

Former Hull City striker Dean Windass, who has previously discussed his own struggles with mental health, was amongst the guests at the bench unveiling and said it was “incredible”.

Mysterious Minds will hold a candlelight service at Hull Minster on Wednesday 10 December at 19:30 GMT to “remember loved ones” and create “a moment of comfort and hope”.