Dozens of wooden park benches have been donated across the UK.
Netflix initially partnered up with CALM, the charity that ‘Campaigns Against Living Miserably’ in January, but has since added new benches across the country.
Named the After Life benches after the hit-Netflix series, new benches have arrived in Leeds, as well as Sheffield, Reading, Hemel Hempstead and the Isle of Wight.
In the hit series, the park bench in the local graveyard is where some of the most pivotal scenes take place. It’s where Tony, played by Gervais, goes to speak to his fellow grieving friend Anne.
Originally, 25 similar benches, each engraved with the words ‘Hope is everything’, have been gifted to local councils and are being placed in parks nationwide.
Anyone in Leeds wanting to visit one of the benches would have had to originally travel over to Wythenshawe Park in Manchester, but now Leeds has been giving its own After Life bench in Middleton Park.
Located four miles south of the city centre, Middleton Park has a huge green space, spanning over 470 acres with a cafe, bowling greens, a playground, and a fishing lake- so finding the After Life bench isn’t going to be as easy as you’d imagine.
However, using the What Three Words app, residents can find the exact location of the bench inside Middleton Park using the three words: soup.lows.foal.
Ricky Gervais, who stars in the Netflix TV series, shared the new additions on his Twitter feed.
Thanks for all the @theCALMzone #AfterLife bench photos. There are now more in Sheffield, Reading, Hemel Hempstead, Isle of Wight and Leeds. We’ve made them easier to find using @what3words (see the map). Post-codes for each bench also listed. #hopeiseverything #afterlifes3 pic.twitter.com/DO0lSRZqrg
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) March 24, 2022
CALM said: “We know benches are a place where you can reflect, talk to someone, sit shoulder to shoulder with someone and get things off your chest. So we’ve worked with Netflix to put benches in parks across the country – inscribed with that crucial line from the show, “Hope is everything” – to help people have those conversations and to show it’s normal to have those feelings.”
“We recently added more benches in Sheffield, Reading, Hemel Hempstead, Isle of Wight and Leeds – and we’ve now made all the benches even easier to find using What3words – just download the app and type in the 3 words for your bench.”
The charity hopes that visitors will use the bench to reflect, just like Tony does in the Netflix show with his confidante, Anne.
“If you watch After Life you’ll know the bench in the graveyard plays a pivotal part in the show. It’s where Tony talks to Anne, his graveside confidante. They’ve both experienced grief and they meet up regularly – Anne is the one person Tony can let his guard down with, can open up to and be himself.
And we know talking to someone you trust really can help. Opening up about to your mates or family is not an easy thing to do. But starting that conversation can be the start of getting the support you need. By helping them better understand and support you, you’re giving you – and them – the best chance of doing that”.
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For more information on CALM’s work with After Life, visit the Campaign Against Living Miserably website.
Feature Image- Netflix
