Banbridge ‘Chatty Bench’ vandalised with graffiti weeks after loneliness initiative launched

A bright yellow “Chatty Bench” installed on Banbridge’s Riverside Walk has been vandalised with a substantial amount of graffiti, prompting condemnation from a local councillor and frustration among those involved in the initiative.

The damage was reported over the weekend after DUP Councillor for Banbridge Ian Wilson was sent photographs showing graffiti on the bench. The bench had been installed in recent weeks as part of an Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Council initiative intended to address loneliness and social isolation.

What the Chatty Benches are designed to do

According to the council’s website, the Chatty Benches provide an opportunity for people to sit down, talk and remain connected. The benches are painted bright yellow and carry a QR code linking users to online mental-health support resources, including information about protecting mental and emotional wellbeing.

Sinead Taylor, chairperson of the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Loneliness Network, said the network and the Southern Health and Social Care Trust were “very excited” to be involved in the initiative. She linked the scheme to the increase in loneliness reported after the Covid-19 pandemic and said even a brief greeting could help encourage conversation and reduce barriers for people experiencing isolation.

‘It’s something that’s good for the community’

Councillor Wilson said it was disappointing that something installed for a positive purpose had been damaged. He said the benches were intended to support people’s mental health and argued that the damage could not be ignored, regardless of who was responsible.

The reported defacement was to the arm of the bench at Huntly Riverwalk. Wilson said the vandalism undermined the message behind the scheme: that social isolation is an issue and that small opportunities for contact can benefit the wider community.

He said he intended to file a report about the damaged bench with council officials later on Tuesday. The source does not state whether anyone has been identified or whether repair work has been arranged.