Mental health bench shows no-one is alone, says mum

A mother who organised a bench to be installed for people struggling with mental health issues said it symbolised that people were "not alone".

Anne-Marie, from north Northamptonshire, fundraised about £1,265 to have the bench placed along the Embankment in Wellingborough.

She said seeing it in situ was a "proud and emotional" moment which honoured her ex-partner, and father of her two sons, who took his own life in 2024.

After her partner's death Anne-Marie started The Seddon Legacy Project, a voluntary community group that works to improve access to services for families who have experienced bereavement.

The 34-year-old also worked with North Northamptonshire Council, Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SoBS) and Kelly's Heroes on the bench, which was supplied by Legend on the Bench, a suicide prevention charity.

The bench includes a light for people to help them read contact numbers and QR codes directing people to a help page and 24-hour support services.

Anne-Marie said the bench's unveiling was "an emotional morning, I was very proud, it was so nice to be supported by the local council and other organisations, everyone got behind it".

"The council were amazing from day one, they were really supportive, it helped the whole process."

She said it was going to be her "legacy" and a place where people could come and pause.

"I'm doing everything I can for my children, to keep their father's memory alive.

"We even came here for a snacky dinner and sat there and ate it.

"I want to do anything to prevent any other families experiencing what we have.

"I hope it works as a chain reaction by getting the message out there and the subject spoken about. This is about more than a bench."

She said families like hers were "not alone, that their feelings matter, and that there are people and services who will listen and support them".

In Northamptonshire about 77 people take their own life each year, the council said.

Brian Benneyworth, a Reform UK councillor and executive member for housing, health and leisure, said: "I hope this bench can become a place where perhaps someone can pause, reflect, remember someone they love, or simply sit and know that they are not alone."

In September the council said it had approved a new Suicide Prevention Strategy, "reaffirming its commitment to preventing suicide and supporting the mental wellbeing of residents".

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