Charity set to install 100th bench offering support to help prevent suicide

By Alan Jones, Press Association Industrial Correspondent

A charity working to reduce the number of suicides across the UK will soon unveil its 100th park bench which features information on how to seek support.

Legend on the Bench was set up by ex-professional footballer Micky Hazard and his sister Michelle following the death of her son Jason Lee Mead in 2019.

The aim is to have benches in every local park in the UK, displaying contact telephone numbers and QR codes for information, as well as built-in lighting to help those in crisis at night.

Hazard said the charity was born from both deep personal loss and a desire to make a difference.

His sister said there were no signs that 23-year-old Jay had mental health issues.

She often went to a local park in Hertfordshire to get some time alone to grieve, and came up with the idea of having a bench in every park offering help and support to anyone suffering a similar loss.

She told the Press Association: “My house was crowded with people and I wanted to be alone so I went to a park at night. I’m quite scared of the dark and kept thinking I wished there was some light, which gave me the idea of setting up a charity.”

Since the charity was established two years ago, scores of benches have been installed in parks across the UK, sometimes with fundraising help from local communities.

Benches will be unveiled in Dublin and Northampton in the coming weeks, and the 100th will be placed at the end of February.

Hazard, who won the FA Cup and Uefa Cup with Spurs, said the causes of suicide are complex, adding: “It’s unbelievable how many people are unaware that there is help out there to support them in times of crisis, someone is ready to listen, maybe even just a shoulder to cry on without judgment.

“Our aim is to support people suffering from mental health issues and thus prevent loss of a life due to suicide.”