13
Dec
Former Spurs players unveil suicide prevention bench in Harrogate
This story is free to read. For access to all our content, please subscribe. We rely on subscriptions to keep providing news that matters. Click here to get started.
A suicide prevention charity has installed a dedicated bench at Harrogate’s Valley Gardens.
Legend on the Bench was formed by Michelle Hazard, sister of former Tottenham Hotspur player Micky Hazard, after her son, Jay, took his own life in 2019.
Jay was just 23 when he died.
The charity has now made it a mission to install as many benches as possible around the UK, which feature information and a QR code that can be scanned to access a list of resources for anyone struggling with their mental health.
Legend on The Bench has this year teamed up with York-based Definition Body Coaching, which – along with its clients – raised £4,000 to fund two benches in Chesney Park in Acomb and Valley Gardens.
They are the charity’s first benches in North Yorkshire.
The Harrogate bench was officially unveiled last week by Hazard and fellow ex-Spurs player, Graham Roberts.
Hazard, 65, said:
Someone is always listening – that is the message we want to send out.
Cllr Michael Harrison, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for health and adult services and Conservative councillor for Killinghall, Hampsthwaite and Saltergate, added:
Mental health challenges can affect anybody at any time, and it is really important that people know there is always someone they can talk to.
These benches are part of an initiative that is doing so much good following such a tragic incident.
And they might just be a lifesaver for someone with the information they provide, as well as helping to raise the profile of mental health more generally.
Justin Shepherd, who founded Definition Body Coaching, said he hopes the benches will “help to save lives and help people who need it”.
He added:
Our message is that they matter. This also raises further awareness of mental health which is so vital for all of us. It would be great to see even more benches installed in North Yorkshire across 2026 and beyond.
0