Chatty bench: The bright seats bringing people together

Childminder Janice Nelson meets her friend at a bright yellow bench in Carrickfergus, County Antrim most days.

They say hello to strangers who walk by and often that turns into longer conversations.

The seat, in Shaftsbury Park, has been purposely installed to bring people back together after a year of staying apart.

"There are quite a few people who would walk by and be on their own," Janice says.

"It gives them a chance to have a conversation with someone.

"It's amazing because the colour draws people to the bench. You say 'good morning, how are you', and if people want to talk, they'll talk."

'They feel very isolated'

The chatty bench, as it is known, has been newly installed to tackle loneliness.

Janice Nelson says the yellow colour draws people's attention and gets the conversation started

On it, a sign reads: "Sit here if you're happy to chat with passers-by."

Marjorie Hawkins, who chairs the Mid and East Antrim Loneliness Network, says the idea grew from knowing that people felt isolated and alone during the pandemic.

'Teenagers and twenty-somethings'

"People haven't been able to meet with families, they haven't been able to hug, there's all different things going on in their lives. They feel very isolated.

"There's a silent epidemic and that's loneliness. We always think it affects old people but it affects young people too."

Another bench has been installed in recent weeks in Antrim Castle Gardens by a group of young volunteers.

Another bench has been installed in recent weeks in Antrim Castle Gardens by a group of young volunteers

The group, called FOCUS, wants to encourage more teenagers and twenty-somethings to speak out about how they are feeling.

Mollie Irvine says it's particularly important "because so many young people have been off school and haven't been able to see their friends as much over the past year".

'You never know what someone is going through'

Mollie's younger brother Tom helped prepare the bench and paint it bright blue before it was placed in the park.

"If you're out walking and you feel you need to talk to someone, take a seat. It doesn't have to be someone you know," she says.

• The woman getting strangers to chat

• Happy benches: The project aiming to cut loneliness

• The surprising benefits of talking to strangers

Their friend Jamie Laughlin says that in day-to-day life "you never really know what someone is going through and having a space for someone to sit down and have a chat is a really good thing".

More chatty benches have recently been installed in Ballymena and Larne with potential plans for more across County Antrim in the coming months.