VIVARY Park in Taunton now has a mental health support bench.

The seat has been unveiled as part of a scheme led by community safety charity SAFE South West, in collaboration with Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, Somerset Council, Devon County Council and a range of other organisations.

People are being urged to use the bench as a place where they can stop and take a moment to access mental health resources, in recognition that sometimes people in distress often struggle to reach out for help.

The bench is made from recycled plastic and can easily be spotted by its green colour and invitation to ‘COME SIT WITH US’ written across the back.

It is fitted with a plaque that has a scannable QR code, which signposts a range of resources, including The Samaritans, SHOUT’s text helpline, Open Mental Health’s website and an opportunity to read or listen to Somerset’s Letter of Hope.

The arms of the bench also have plaques with the phone numbers of The Samaritans and SHOUT’s text helpline.

Steve Smith, from SAFE South West, led the project and said: “The initial idea came from a firefighter Adam Johnson in Barnstaple and from Clare Stone, an Open Mental Health Expert by Experience, who became involved after being inspired by a similar initiative set up by a family bereaved by suicide in London.

“What we have tried to do is to make it easy for people, whether they are a bit down or in crisis, to reach a range of options to support them. In each county the QR code information will be slightly different to reflect local services and support available.”

Open Mental Health Expert by Experience, Clare Stone, said: “I felt that all the messages from society and the media are for people in crisis to ‘just reach out’ and I really wanted to find a way for the community to ‘reach in’.

“It is often really difficult for people who are in crisis to pick up the phone and talk or to find the words to ask for help, so it felt important that there were other options such as texting, reading or listening.

“I really hope this will help others to feel less alone in their struggles and that by listening to others who have experienced mental health difficulties themselves it may offer hope and reassurance that they are worthy of support.”

There are plans to place new benches or to fit the plaques to existing benches across the south west, including initially at Nine Elms Country Park in Yeovil, Glastonbury High Street, Bridgwater, Barnstaple, the Bath and West Showground and in Newton Abbott. Interest in the project has also extended to Cornwall and Plymouth.