Essex Freemasons raise awareness of suicide in our society today
The Lodge of Borrowed Light donates £2,250 to ‘Legend on a Bench’ a charity with an innovative approach to prevent suicide in society
Jim Brewis, during his year as Master of the Lodge of Borrowed Light No. 9054, that meets at Harlow Masonic Hall, raised the awareness of suicide in our society today, by supporting the ‘Legend on a bench’ charity with a Lodge donation of £2,250.
‘Legend on a Bench’ is a charity which aims to combat mental health issues and to try to prevent suicide in society. They install benches in public parks, each one equipped with immediate access to help via a host of professional support groups and charities together with a QR code that can be scanned by anyone using the bench at that time.
The charity was founded by Micky Hazard (former Tottenham Hotspur player) and his sister Michelle following Michelle’s 23-year-old son Jay, sadly taking his own life due to mental health issues.
Jay was a fun loving, vibrant young man, always laughing and joking and the family struggled to find answers to why their beautiful son had decided to take the path he had.
Mental health problems affect around one in four people in any given year and can often lead to suicide. The causes of suicide are very complex and there's rarely one single cause, so many questions, so few answers. Thus, Micky and Michelle joined forces to build this charity offering the support at the very moment anyone needs it with the ‘Legend Benches’.
Micky sums up the help his charity wants to provide by stating:
“Together, we hope to prevent further loss of life and create places where help and support is just a seat away. Together let’s turn pain into support and memory into action.
Courage is what it takes to stand up and talk – Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen”
To read more about ‘Legend on a Bench’ click this link to their website https://www.legend-on-the-bench.co.uk/
Photo:
Top: Presenting cheque to Micky and Michelle
L-R George Ford, Lodge Charity Steward – Michelle, Micky, Jim Brewis
Below: One of the benches with inscription
