The Friendly Bench

Like BIDs, The Friendly Bench CIC understands the importance and value of bringing communities together and reconnecting people to their local area.

The Friendly Bench is an innovative outdoor community-led social space – designed to reconnect people with places, people and nature, re-energising communities and promoting people's health, happiness, and well-being. Each The Friendly Bench is a safe, friendly, comfortable, easily accessible inclusive ‘outdoor living room’; a mini-community garden with integrated seating rooted within communities. They are venues for community-led events, volunteering and provide a place for people of all ages (including those who are lonely, socially isolated or who have restricted mobility) to meet, chat, and connect with each other, to places and with nature, reducing social isolation whilst building community cohesion.

Each The Friendly Bench is managed and run by local communities but part of The Friendly Bench network across the UK, creating even more connections.

Network member groups benefit from comprehensive ongoing support and advice from The Friendly Bench CIC team and connections with other groups across the network, as well as national organisations and charities, e.g Royal British Legion and Playlist for Life, to help them run a successful, sustainable The Friendly Bench scheme which builds positive connections locally and nationally.

Since 2018, we have worked with a huge variety of groups and organisations in cities, towns and villages across the UK to bring The Friendly Bench to their communities, including with Halesowen BID, where The Friendly Bench is successfully supporting their aims of making Halesowen a more inclusive and dementia friendly town. We’d love to help your BID to achieve additional positive impact for your community and provide a focal point for your town or city centre.