How a chatty bench brought residents closer together

When Roy Sherrington, a resident at Brownlow Court in Horwich inherited a bench from his brother he knew he wanted to put to good use 

After speaking to the Location Manager, Patricia Higson, Roy decided that making his bench a “chatty bench” was exactly what he wanted to do. Together, they obtained a special plaque to explain the concept: that sitting on the bench is a way of indicating to those around you that you are open to have a chat. Since the installation of the chatty bench, residents at Brownlow Court have forged closer relationships and feel like there’s always someone to talk to.

When asked what motivated him to start up his own chatty bench, Roy said:

I inherited the bench from my brother, I had to do a few repairs on it, but when it was finished, I placed it outside at the front of the building. It seemed really selfish to keep the bench for myself, so Patricia helped me create a sign to go on the bench opening it up to other residents to join me for a chat.

The first week came and no one joined but then after a few weeks, 5 or 6 people were joining, some of them bringing them own chairs and a cup of tea. I have always been interested in getting people to talk and we really do enjoy chatting to each other. It is very important to communicate!

Although the community at Brownlow Court has always been thriving, the chatty bench has brought people closer together. They usually discuss what’s going on in the world, and Roy said he thinks the bench is the glue that brings everyone together.

But sitting talking isn’t all that goes on at Brownlow Court; since the installation of the new bench, the residents have also set up a weekly walking group. Every Tuesday at 6pm they come together to get some exercise and enjoy the great outdoors – stopping for a drink or two along the way.

Chatty benches are one of several initiatives designed to support and encourages residents living with Anchor to connect and with others and help combat loneliness and reduce social isolation. 

To learn more about how we support residents to be connected visit here.