The Police & Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset, Sue Mountstevens, will be visiting Burnham-On-Sea to find out more about its Chat Bench this month.
She will be visiting the world-famous chat bench – which aims to help tackle lonliness – on The Esplanade near the Tourist Information Centre with the Police force’s Det Sergeant Ashley Jones, who introduced it last year.
Sue’s visit on Monday 10th February between 1pm and 2pm is one of her scheduled community day events, where she visits various organisations and activities that offer positive outcomes to the community.
Ashley, who received an MBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “Sue’s top priority for the police is to protect the vulnerable within the community from harm and this has been at the forefront of the inception of the Chat Bench initiative, which was launched in Burnham in Spring 2019 as a response to United Nations World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.”
“The Chat Bench is a very simple initiative that encourages the adoption of community benches as places where lonely and isolated individuals may join each other for a chat.”
“Sue will be popping along to speak with me about the success of the project, which now boasts 100’s of chat benches all over the world, as well as chatting to anyone who wishes to meet their elected Police & Crime Commissioner and may have any questions about local policing in the community.”
