Chatty benches

Anchor's chatty benches are popping up all over the country to help combat loneliness and bring people together. Colourful signs added to existing benches are letting everyone know that by sitting on them you're happy to chat with whoever joins you.

It’s a simple idea but as England’s largest provider of specialist housing and care for those in later life, we know the positive impact of creating safe environments for people to connect. The chatty bench plaques act as a talking point and encourage those who see them to reach out and spark up conversations with the people around them.
 
We’ve seen the benefits of chatty benches to the residents of our care homes and specialist housing locations and we’re working to bring more and more of them to public spaces across the country. Get involved by finding your nearest public chatty bench below or get in touch to help bring great conversations to your local community. 

Conversation starter ideas

Download our conversation menu (updated Oct 2023)

We know that starting conversations can sometimes be hard, so we have put together a fun conversation menu of light-hearted questions to help you get talking, find some common ground and build rapport with the new people you meet. 

Creating a chatty bench near you

If you would like a chatty bench plaque to add to a seat or bench near you, please get in touch with Lauren Smith, Anchor's Resident Wellbeing Lead for more information.

Email us to get a chatty bench plaque

Where you can find Anchor chatty benches

We've created a map to show where you can find publicly accessible Anchor chatty benches. Save and revisit this page regularly to see when new plaques and benches are added.

Living well

At Anchor we support and encourage everyone living with us to stay active, healthy, and connected to their local community through a range of resident wellbeing services.

About Anchor - our choice of housing and care options

Helping people enjoy later life is our passion. It has been for more than 60 years. We know everyone’s needs and aspirations are different and so we offer a choice of retirement communities to suit those aged 55 and over, whether still working or not. From independent living to 24-hour care, our locations provide access to different levels of support with a variety of tenure options – leasehold sales, rental, shared ownership and residential care homes. Find out more below.