Legend on the Bench Charity is launched - October 2023
Frequently Asked Questions
Please reach us at info@legend-on-the-bench.co.uk if you cannot find an answer to your question.
Legend on the Bench is a non-profit making charity, set up with the aim of reducing the number of tragedies recorded each year due to mental health issues or suicides.
The organasiation's objective is to raise money for the public benefit, the relief and assistance of people in need, in any part of the UK who are suffering from mental health issues and suicidal thoughts, by the provision of benches in public spaces, promoting the inscribed sources of support/advocacy/advice/information.
If you look up the word Legend, it has several meanings:
A story handed down for generations among a people and popularly believed to have a historical basis;
A person or thing that inspires legends;
An inscription or title on an object;
An explanatory list of the symbols on a map or chart;
The benches represent all of the above – they are inscribed details of support groups which leads to the website with contact information of each.
The bench also represents a place of comfort for those seeking it during dark times, inspired the person who took their own life at that spot.
And it will generate a story of hope, to all those suffering from Mental Health issues and Suicidal thoughts, that there are people available who want to help, either in person or by a link to an organisation, provided by many people out of the goodness of their hearts, by donation money or time.
As an ex-professional footballer, Micky became a Legend in his sport, but it was not without the support of people on the bench or around him. Micky and Michelle, wish to be the Legend on your Bench, when you need it
In 2019, Micky received a phone call from his sister Michelle, after finding her son, Jason Lee Mead, had committed suicide by hanging himself at home. After dealing with the family tragedy, both came together to try and find a way to prevent the same loss to other people, and started a fundraising campaign to install a bench in the same park where Jay used to visit during his free time before taking his own life, as a beacon of hope and source of support information to others in the same desperate situation.
The idea grew into wanting to extend this initiative to all parks in the UK, growing the awareness of mental health struggles and the impacts that suicidal thoughts have on the people and their loved ones, with the hope that people affected will find the support they need, and hopefully minimise or prevent the number of people taking their own life, when they feel there is no other path to follow
There is no limit being set. Once the project is established the Committee of Trustees will look to project forward based on fund raising experience
Legend on the Bench Charity Committee of Trustees will consider all requests for a bench and make final decision
The first bench will be installed in Sawbridgeworth Park. Details of this first installation will be featured on the Charity website
Solid African Hard Wood
Within reason, and with the approval of any local Council planning consents
Current costs are £2000 per bench plus Council fees – these may vary upon location and the amount of groundworks required
Legend on the Bench Charity will contact the relevant authority for permission
The benches will be installed with a set inscription and QR code – it may be possible for a brass plaque to be added after with approval of the Committee of Trustees /local Council
There is a list of locations on the website with photos – it will be continually updated – Media Releases page
This will depend on our supplier – the average target time will be 1 week and communicated per bench on the Charity website
This will depend on each local authority, usually several weeks – the average time will be found on the Charity website once we have examples of the time taken.
The benches have integral lighting and will be securely fastened to the ground
The local authority will decide, but usually the charity will maintain the benches as part of our permissions from them
A list of events will be displayed on the website – Media Releases page
There are multiple ways to donate as follows
- PayPal on the website – Contact Us page
- Partner fundraising sites - Ways to Donate page
- JustGiving Checkout - Ways to Donate page
- Directly into our Charity account
- Account Name: Legend on the Bench
- Sort Code: 30-99-50
- Account Number: 11331862
- In person at events by cash, or using mobile card readers
Here are the steps for you to take for fundraising and to obtain permission for a bench installation near a location of your choice
- First, visit this web page https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/legend-on-the-bench
- Scroll down and find the orange bar that says Start Fundraising
- Click on that and it will take you to the screens where you can enter your own name and details of what you would like to do (you may need to create an account)
- You do not have to set a limit, but if you wish to, choose £2000
- Complete the onscreen instructions and your fundraising page will be up and running and linked to the charity
- You can then post updates when and as you like to keep people informed of progress
- Next step is to make contact with the organisation that owns the land that you wish to have the bench located.
- If it is council owned, please try and make contact with the correct person/department for planning permission or parks & recreation. If the land is owned privately, start conversations with them about what you wish to do, use our name and charity number and get to the person or department that can grant permission
- Once you get that far, please let us know the contact details and we will work with you to get the application through all the hurdles that they seem to have
- We will also contact the bench manufacturer and get them prepared for the supply of your bench, and they will contact you for some personal touches, such as your loved one's name if you wish to have it engraved into the seat slats
- We will also then have TimelessTributes contact you so that you can have a musical or video tribute compiles and loaded onto a QR codes plaque that people can scan and relive some happy memories
- I hope this is all clear to you, but if not, please feel free to contact us for more assistance at any time
- Once you have the funds raised and we have agreed a date for installation with the local authority, we can discuss how you wish to have the day to be organised for the unveiling, any special guests, media coverage etc and start with some advertising/promotion to ensure your message to everyone and the story behind the bench reaches as many people as possible
- We will also have a post on our website with your story and pictures from the day of unveiling
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There is Light at the end of the Tunnel