On Wednesday 9th June we were delighted to officially handover and celebrate the opening of our latest The Friendly BenchⓇ in Halesowen, thanks to National Lottery funding.
Headed up by Halesowen BID Town Manager, Vicky Rogers, The Friendly BenchⓇ is sited right in the heart of Halesowen town centre and will be a hub for community-focussed activities for all ages, with a particular emphasis on those living with dementia.
Dedicated to Caroline Williams a former employee of Halesowen College and an active member of the community who sadly passed away last year, The Friendly BenchⓇ was officially opened by Mayor of Dudley councillor Anne Millward.
Vicky Rogers said, "Halesowen is actively working to become a more inclusive town centre by supporting our businesses and community through dementia and autism awareness and the launch of lip reading masks to help hearing impaired.
"We are excited to welcome The Friendly BenchⓇ to Halesowen, the first The Friendly BenchⓇ to be installed in a UK town centre. We have seen the increase in mental health and social isolation more since the pandemic and look forward to being able to host events at our new community garden and welcome friends both old and new."
Lyndsey Young, Founder of The Friendly BenchⓇ said, “We are very excited to welcome Halesowen BID to The Friendly BenchⓇ network. This is our first The Friendly BenchⓇ in a town centre and our first partnership with a BID, we are also incredibly proud to be supporting Halesowen becoming a Dementia Friendly Community.”
This The Friendly BenchⓇ has been made possible thanks to players of the National Lottery and is one of 10 The Friendly Benches supported by The National Lottery Community Fund which are being installed across the England.
More information about what will be happening at The Friendly BenchⓇ Halesowen can be found on their social media pages Twitter: @HalesowenBID, Facebook: @HalesowenBID or email them at info@halesowenbid.co.uk
To watch the official opening, here’s a short video from Black Country Radio – Halesowen BID launch new The Friendly BenchⓇ to tackle social isolation