The Friendly Bench

22nd February 2024 The Friendly Bench   Lyndsey Young         www.thefriendlybench.co.uk

Lyndsey was operating as a ‘freelance’, working from home, no family locally and experiencing loneliness (as she also had as a teenager), so felt a community group to help with connecting with other people, learning new skills and getting some physical activities would help. Following discussions and research with local residents and established the first ‘Friendly Bench’ on Granby Drive, Bottesford in 2019. With its success locally, she decided to set up The Friendly Bench CIC (Community Interest Company) to spread the concept. M P Rachel Reeves took an interest in TFB as the Co-Chair of the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness, (spreading the word in the House of Commons, creating many enquiries). Each TFB is a community-led outdoor social space, 5m. by 3m. in size with sensory planting where a team of dedicated volunteers actively manage and run regular events to connect people to each other, places and nature. They connect with other organisations e.g. ‘Men’s Sheds’, the local Ramblers, garden groups, Knitter Natter groups, supported by a central team of Lyndsey plus, advising on marketing, promotion troubleshooting. Currently there are 15 TFB’s spread around the UK, Newcastle to Cornwall and spreading with publicity on BBC Radio 4, The One Show, as well as appearing in The Japan Times and New York Times. Lyndsey accepts that her idea has been copied around the world, but takes it as a compliment, as she firmly believes that being copied is a true testament to the value of her original and commendable idea.

She talked about specific case histories that had enjoyed the benefits such as Halesowen, Burbage, Bury and how it had developed as mutigenerational hub for communities.

Various questions and answers followed, mainly focused on the costs, practicalities such as vandalism, maintenance, insurance, grants and activities, with the Vote of Thanks from Allen, thanking Lyndsey for her energy, enthusiastic and informative presentation, with the possibility of seeing TFB’s or TFB Pop-Up versions appearing locally in Bingham, Radcliffe or Cotgrave, to which the members joined him with the usual round of applause                      AR