
A community has come together to install a bench designed to get people talking about mental health.
The bench has been organised by the group Talking Helps Tetbury (THT) as a way of remembering Theo Humphries, a “well loved” member of the community who ran a barber shop in the town.
The bench will be installed at Tetbury Goods Shed and has been created without any funding, instead the group sourced parts from local adverts and donations.
“We want it to be a community effort, so if you see somebody on the bench, just go and ask them if they’re ok, one conversation could change somebody’s day and give them a tomorrow,” said Adam Silcock, from THT.
More from Gloucestershire
-
Shops v shoplifters – who is winning the battle?
-
8 hours ago
-
-
Council rejects plans to build new business park
-
19 hours ago
-
Silcock works as a mental health champion and said that simple conversations can have a big impact:
“Sometimes applying a little logic to things when somebody sees something as being quite a disastrous event and just breaking it down into little pieces and working out what the actual issue is may save somebody”.
Many of the people who contributed to the project knew Theo from dog walking in Tetbury and the bench is being installed in a location he frequently visited on his walks.
“Its just somewhere where people can go, sit and reflect, or speak with somebody,” said Silcock.
Part of the bench has also been made by volunteers at Tetbury Men’s Shed and has been painted in Theo’s favourite colours.
“There was a lot of people that felt a connection to him [Theo],” said Colin Cunningham, who had a close friendship with Theo.
“[His passing] shook a lot of people in Tetbury up because a lot of people would know him in some sort of capacity and what brought us together was the need to do something,” he added.
Get in touch
Tell us which stories we should cover in Gloucestershire
Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.
Related topics
-
-
30 November 2022

-


