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Hospitals in Huntingdon and Stamford are supporting a national charity which offers guidance and help to anyone experiencing mental health issues.

The Legend on the Bench charity has spearheaded a nationwide suicide prevention campaign through installing specially designed wooden benches in prominent community locations around the country.

It is now bringing its 'Someone is always Listening' motto to Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon and Stamford & Rutland Hospital; unveiling three benches of hope in safe spaces around the sites which are accessible to staff, patients and visitors.

Someone is always Listening

The benches feature an LED light, contact numbers of specialist support services and a QR code that can be scanned with a smartphone to access immediate support.

The QR code will direct users to a comprehensive reference list of professional support groups, complete with contact numbers, website links, and email addresses.

The benches have been purchased through the North West Anglia Hospitals' Charity and Prospect Healthcare.

At Hinchingbrooke, they are located outside the Treatment Centre and the Emergency Department.

 

At Stamford, the bench is positioned outside the main hospital entrance. 

The Legend on the Bench charity was founded by Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea midfielder Micky Hazard and his sister Michelle, whose son Jay sadly died by suicide in 2019. 

The first bench was unveiled in Sawbridgeworth in 2024, and since then, over 160 other benches have been donated to and / or installed by the charity in communities around Great Britain. 

Micky said: “Our goal is to ensure that help is just a scan away, fostering a community of support and understanding for those facing mental health struggles.”

The charity is continuing its links with North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, as last year,

Peterborough City Hospital was the chosen at the first hospital setting to receive not one, but five benches.

The first was donated by the Legend on the Bench charity and the others purchased through joint donations from the Hospitals' Charity and Trust corporate supporters, Progress Health, and fundraising by the Peterborough Spurs Branch.

North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust Chief Executive Officer, Hannah Coffey said: “Legend on the Bench is a remarkable charity which in a short space of time has established itself among so many communities, offering a beacon of hope to those who need in-the-moment support.”

Micky added: “Mental health challenges can change the lives of people forever, whether that be for the individual, their family or people around them. Legend on the Bench is more than a memorial, it's a promise, that no one has to face their darkest moments alone. 

“It has been a pleasure to work with North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, to install a total of eight benches, each providing a safe space for those who may find themselves in need of reach out for help, which IS there for them.” 

For more details about the charity visit Home - Legend on the Bench