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'This bench may have saved my brother'

Maisie Lillywhite,Gloucestershireand
Jon Smith,BBC Radio Gloucestershire
BBC An old man wearing a blue football shirt with a yellow neckline and sleeve rings smiles slightly as he stands in a scorched field. There are other people stood in the background and there is a new, brown wooden bench. There are hedges and trees bordering the field.BBC
Reuben Stanley's brother took his own life in the 1980s

A man who attended the unveiling of a suicide prevention bench says if it had been erected in the 1980s, his brother may not have taken his own life.

Mary Barnes raised £2,000 for the bench to be installed at Gloucester's Phoenix Cafe at Abbeydale Sports and Community Centre after her partner, Paul Close, took his own life two years ago.

The benches has a QR code on it which, when scanned, signposts people to crisis support services.

Reuben Stanley, whose brother Victor died when he was 24, said if Victor had been been able to see the bench "he might still be with us today".

The names of 31 people who have died by suicide in the town are also engraved on the bench.

Mr Stanley said: "The number of names of people who have taken their lives on this bench is really jaw-dropping, but let's hope it does save someone."

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Ms Barnes, from the Saintbridge area of Gloucester, discovered her partner had gone missing after she returned from work in 2024. His body was later found by police.

She said she had "no idea" her partner of 18 years had been struggling.

As well as creating a lasting legacy for Paul, she hopes the bench will help others.

"If only one person manages to find this bench at the right time and stops themselves and their families going through what we've been through as a family, then it would be worthwhile," she said.

"People don't talk about suicide.

"They find it hard. I think it might help get people talking, even just to open up to their friends and family."

Handout A woman with long blonde hair and her partner, a man taller than her with curly grey hair, in a selfie-style photo. The woman is smiling and is wearing a black top with white spots and a large turquoise stone necklace. The man has his mouth agape and he is wearing a dark grey polo shirt. The sea is behind them and the sun is shining.Handout
Mary Barnes raised £2,000 for the bench, which was erected two years to the day her partner, Paul Close, took his own life

This is Gloucestershire's first suicide prevention bench, but charity Legend on the Bench is working to install them across the country.

The charity was launched by ex-footballer Micky Hazard along with his sister after his nephew Jay Lee Mead took his own life in 2019.

"Obviously, the complete and utter shock and devastation never goes away, but you learn to cope, you learn to live with it," the former Tottenham and Chelsea football player said.

Hazard hailed Ms Barnes as "absolutely incredible" and said the charity has now installed 150 benches.

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