To put it simply, we are a suicide prevention charity who wants to try and help those who are struggling and who may be feeling desperate, possibly even close to wanting to end it all. We want to show you that there is help out there, in fact we want to make it easier for you to find that help and to make those changes to bring you back from the brink of despair, a place known only too well by some of us here at The Red Bench Project.

We are placing benches in or near suicide hot-spots to give people the chance to sit and reflect, calm down and think or even use our bench as a silent cry for help. Taking a moment on the bench can really make a huge difference. If you see someone sitting alone at a bench maybe go over and chat, see if they are ok. That little interaction and kindness can help break the spell and show them that they are not alone and that people do care.

Our red benches are more than just a bench, it is a movement, it is us showing people that they are not alone, that people genuinely do care, even complete strangers.

With your help and support we are saving lives one bench at a time!

Another aspect of our benches is changing peoples habits. In this day and age people tend to keep themselves to themselves, walking past a stranger without any contact, not even a simple ‘hello’. So what chance does someone that is struggling, sitting alone on a bench have, if everyone passing ignores them.

We are asking people to keep an eye out for someone sitting alone and if they do see someone, to go and chat to them, ask if they are ok, try and strike up a conversation. This little act of kindness can show someone that they are not alone and it can help break the mood they are in, maybe stop them from taking any further steps. This does work, this little act of kindness has saved lives…at least four that we know of since we launched in July 2023.