Transpennine Express have made the world’s longest railway bench, at Scarborough train station, their very first ‘chatty bench’.
The company has launched a brand-new initiative, ‘chatty benches’, in a push to end loneliness and increase conversations amongst customers, following more than a year of reduced interactions amongst the public due to the pandemic.
With more than 9M people in the UK experiencing loneliness, Transpennine say they understand it may be the person sitting next to you who is quietly struggling. In an effort to help tackle the issue they have launched the ‘chatty benches’, which will now be signposted at all of their managed stations throughout the North.
To mark the launch, staff, customers and representatives from the Campaign to End Loneliness took a seat at the world’s longest railway bench, at Scarborough train station, which they have designated as their very first ‘chatty bench’.
In a recent study conducted by the Campaign to End Loneliness, 71% of adults in the North of England thought that loneliness would be a serious issue beyond Covid-19.
Partnership Marketing Manager for TransPennine Express, Lisa Hewitt said:
“We’re very excited to be launching the ‘chatty benches’ initiative at stations throughout the North. The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a dramatic rise in cases of loneliness and so we know, now more than ever, getting together has never felt better. We want to raise awareness of the issue and encourage moments of interaction to support those who have experienced loneliness, helping them make new connections whilst also enabling them to reconnect with family and friends.
“Loneliness affects so many people in the UK and we share the vision of the Campaign to End Loneliness that everyone can live a life free from chronic loneliness. We want to encourage people to get out and about and make those human connections that we all need, and as a provider of travel, we know we can help make a difference.”
Transpennine say the benches, that will be clearly signposted at their managed stations, will be cleaned throughout the day to ensure they are safe for customers to use. This is in addition to the thorough cleaning programme in place where key touch points in stations and on board the 100 plus carriages are sanitised to ensure the safety of passengers when visiting the station and travelling on the trains.
Robin Hewings, Programme Director of the Campaign to End Loneliness, said:
"Tackling loneliness by helping people to build social connections is really important. Loneliness can be felt by people of all ages and backgrounds and can seriously impact people’s quality of life and even their health.
“We are delighted that TransPennine Express has launched the ‘chatty benches’ initiative. We hope that passengers take advantage of the scheme as you never know who you may be talking to and what a huge difference it could make to that person’s wellbeing.”
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