Happy bench help combats loneliness

Ealing Council have launched a campaign to help stop loneliness within the Borough. An introduction of a bench on Ealing Green, opposite Pitzhanger Manor, is to encourage people to talk and make connections.

A recent study by the Co-Op and the British Red Cross have found that 9 million Britons feel lonely on daily basis, which is more than the population of London.

The "Happy Bench” concept originates from Alison Owen Jones, who lobbied for a bench in her own community in Cardiff to spotlight the growing problem of loneliness in the elderly.

Ealing MP Rupa Huq said, “it’s important for people to stop, take a minute out of their day and talk to other people.”

There are plans to open more of these benches in London in 2020.