Brighton charity founder honoured with bespoke bench

Emily Kenward, from Brighton, is one of six individuals to be honoured with a bench to credit those who went above and beyond for their local communities during the pandemic.

Emily co-founded the Brighton-based charity Time to Talk Befriending and was recognised by the National Lottery and Repair Shop host Jay Blades for her efforts to support individuals and combat loneliness during Covid-19.

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Her bench has been installed near Brighton College, which is one of the partners of the charity, and will feature design motif of speech bubbles, encouraging people to talk.

It is also emblazoned with the quote “Let’s Talk – Tackling Loneliness Together”.

An in-built QR code will allow visitors to the bench to listen to an audio recording of Jay Blades regaling Emily’s story.

Her bench has been installed near Brighton College

Emily said she was inspired to start Time to Talk Befriending after loneliness in vulnerable communities was exacerbated during the pandemic.

“We were based in Brighton and Hove and Worthing in Sussex initially, but we wouldn’t have been able to move into another area to support more people experiencing loneliness if it wasn’t for them [The National Lottery],” she said.

“Thanks to an uplift grant - we doubled in size within a couple of months, and we’ve now opened up in Adur between Brighton and Hove and Worthing. The lottery money gave us a solid foundation to be able to respond to the need for long-term befriending, which is just brilliant.”

Adapting the project to help older members, who had to isolate for 12 weeks, meant the charity provided emergency food and supply packages, including hot meals for those in food poverty, emergency information packs, as well as the Befriending telephone service.

Jay Blades, who designed and created the bench, said each bench represents the person’s personality, passions and the impact they had on others in their community.

“Like most of us, I have witnessed inspirational acts of selflessness and kindness this year as people have adapted their lives to help others,” he said.

“It is hopefully a fitting tribute to their efforts this year – efforts that too often go unheralded but never unappreciated by those they help – that these benches can be places where others can find out more about their work.”

An in-built QR code will allow visitors to the bench to listen to an audio recording of Jay Blades regaling Emily’s story

David Knott, interim CEO of The National Lottery Community Fund, said the power of individuals in supporting communities and people’s wellbeing has been “inspiring”.

“As we reflect on the past year, I am proud to spotlight incredible individuals like Emily, from Time To Talk – they represent the best of human and community spirit,” he said.

“These community benches in local areas will help to showcase the impact they have had on others and to provide valuable space for reflection. Alongside Emily, the 12 local heroes featured from across the UK, have played an integral role in their communities.”