Mid and East Antrim’s Loneliness Network has launched another ‘Chatty Bench’ in the borough to mark Loneliness Awareness Week 2023.

Located in Sunnylands Community Garden, Carrickfergus, the brightly painted yellow bench has been introduced to provide a place for people to come together to have a chat.

Hosted by the Marmalade Trust, Loneliness Awareness Week is an annual campaign which raises awareness of loneliness and gets people talking.

The aim is simple: to reduce the stigma of loneliness and encourage people to talk more openly about it.

Mayor Alderman Gerardine Mulvenna with Michael Clarke (Chairperson of Sunnylands and Woodburn Community Development Group) and Marjorie Hawkins (Chair of Mid and East Antrim Loneliness Network).

placeholder image — Mayor Alderman Gerardine Mulvenna with Michael Clarke (Chairperson of Sunnylands and Woodburn Community Development Group) and Marjorie Hawkins (Chair of Mid and East Antrim Loneliness Network).

This year’s Loneliness Awareness Week takes place between June 12-18 and the theme is ‘Connection Matters’.

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Gerardine Mulvenna, said: “I am delighted to see another ‘Chatty Bench’ installed in our borough. This fantastic initiative aims to engage people in activities to minimise their sense of isolation.

“The ethos behind it is to encourage anyone who wants to engage in conversation with someone to sit down on a bench and just have a chat. There’s also a plaque on the bench with a unique QR code on it, which residents can scan to access information on the Loneliness Network.

“I look ahead with great anticipation for even more to follow soon.”

Michael Clarke, Alison Kane (DEA Officer Carrick Castle), Marjorie Hawkins, Vanessa Postle (Sustainable Development Officer Parks and Open Spaces) and Mayor Alderman Gerardine Mulvenna.

Yvonne Carson from the Northern Health and Social Care Trust added: “We are realising more and more that connection matters. ‘Chatty Benches’ are a great way to break down that social barrier as they encourage us all to say hello and have a chat.”

Chatty Benches are designed to help tackle loneliness and support positive mental health within the community, according to Mid and East Antrim Loneliness Network chairperson, Marjorie Hawkins. She added: “We now have 15 benches across the Borough at the following locations:

1. Shaftesbury Park, Carrickfergus

2. Town Park, Larne

3. Wellington Street, Ballymena

4. People’s Park, Ballymena

5. Maine Riverside Walk, Cullybackey

6. Whitehead Railway Garden

7. Portglenone Marina

8. Ballykeel Community Garden, Ballymena

9. Larne promenade/Larne Community Fridge

10. Glenvale, Glarryford

11. Ahoghill Park

12. Sentry Hill, Ballymena

13. Sunnylands Community Garden at Sunnylands Community Centre

14. Harryville Motte, Ballymena

15. Ballykeel Memorial Garden.

“We hope these ‘Chatty Benches’ will be seen as places for people to come together, chat and connect.”

In addition, AEL Lunch Box Café is also getting involved in Loneliness Awareness Week by offering half price tea and coffee throughout the week.

The first Chatty Bench in the borough was introduced in 2021 at Carrick’s Shaftesbury Park.

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Meanwhile, three Chatty Cafés opened in Larne in the same year, with the Salvation Army, The Prom Café and Barbara Ann’s Home Bakery playing a role in helping to tackle loneliness.

The initiative was launched at Blessings Café in Cullybackey in 2021.

The purpose of the project was to encourage venues to designate a table and make it available as a ‘chatty table’, where customers can sit if they are happy to talk to other customers.

For more information on Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s Loneliness Network, visit https://www.midandeastantrim.gov.uk/resident/healthandwellbeing/loneliness-network-listing