Friendship bench the first of its kind in Cork

A CORK City Council member has thanked the council’s parks division for facilitating his proposal and introducing Cork’s first friendship bench.

The concept of friendship benches is, in essence, that of a safe space where anyone can sit and discuss difficult issues such as unhappiness, depression, or suicidal thoughts, with a trusted friend.

Sinn Féin councillor Mick Nugent told The Echo he had first read of friendship benches in an article in The Guardian, and he raised the idea at Cork City Council level, and with the HSE.

The concept comes from Zimbabwe,where one in four people suffers with some form of mental illness, but where there are only 15 psychiatrists and 16 psychologists serving a population of 14 million.

Harnessing the traditional respect afforded to African matriarchs, psychiatrist Dr Dixon Chibanda began training grandmothers as lay therapists in psychosocial counselling, teaching them to use established methods of talk therapy.

It was from this training that the concept of the friendship bench grew, and Zimbabwe now has more than 100 friendship benches.

The North-West ward Sinn Féin councillor, who is a long-time member of Shine A Light Suicide and Mental Health Awareness, told The Echo the idea resonated with him and he felt that friendship benches might be something from which the city would benefit.

Following Mr Nugent’s proposal, Cork City Council’s parks division has facilitated a pilot scheme which has seen the introduction of Cork’s first friendship bench, in Gerry O’Sullivan Park, Churchfield, with another to follow in the Fair Field.

“We got a bench in Gerry O’Sullivan Park, and we got it painted purple, the colour of Shine A Light Suicide and Mental Health Awareness, and we have three plaques with key numbers for the Samaritans, Pieta House, the HSE’s text support number, and a plaque with Shine A Light’s motto, ‘Talking is a sign of strength, not weakness’,” he said.

“Obviously, the bench is there for anyone to use, but it’s also somewhere that someone can meet a friend or a family member for a chat, or someone might just want a listening ear, or someone might just want a place for themselves and they could meet a passing acquaintance for a chat, or even a stranger.”

If you are affected by any issue in this article, please contact Pieta House on 1800-247247 or text HELP to 51444. Samaritans can be contacted 24/7 on freephone 116 123 and email at jo@samaritans.ie. Visit the HSE’s www.yourmentalhealth.ie or call 1800-111888.