Timmy Mallett hammers home mental health message

Timmy Mallett is fronting a mental health campaign which builds benches for people to sit and talk

Benches to encourage men to talk more about their mental health are being built as part of a campaign fronted by Timmy Mallett.

The Mission: Shoulder to Shoulder campaign aims to build 100 "buddy benches", which will be installed across the UK.

One of the benches has been installed in Gillingham, Kent.

According to the campaign, a single bench can spark more than 2,000 conversations.

Mallett, known for his role on the Wide Awake Club and its spin-off, Wacaday, helped make one of the first benches as part of the campaign.

"Around a fifth of adult men in England have a common mental health condition, such as anxiety or depression, yet despite mental health challenges, men are significantly less likely to seek psychological support," a campaign spokesperson said.

"Just over a third, 36%, of NHS referrals for talking therapies are for men."