The bench is on Lister Gate in Nottingham city centre.
Six special ‘listening benches’ have been designed by six celebrities, and can be found in six cities across the UK – and they’re in place to encourage people to strike up a conversation. In Nottingham Vicky McClure designed a new listening bench for the city.
Good Morning Britain’s 1 Million Minutes campaign is back!
It has never been more important for us to talk about feeling lonely, especially after the acute isolation that lockdown has caused millions of people across the world. This year GMB is looking at the many faces of loneliness, recognising it in ourselves and others.
Now in its sixth consecutive year, the British public’s generosity has seen almost a quarter of a billion minutes donated to charities looking for volunteers to connect with those who feel lonely.
Samaritans is available round the clock, every single day of the year. Call 116 123 for free or visit www.samaritans.org to get advice.
Nottingham’s Vicky McClure appeared on Good Morning Britain this morning to explain the reasoning behind the bench that she designed which is at the corner of Low Pavement and Lister Gate in the city.
Vicky said in an interview on GMB today: “I wish I spoke to more strangers. It’s different now, isn’t it, but I do love community.
“Social media is amazing and it does really help people to communicate with other people when they are feeling lonely.
“To be fair I didn’t really know my neighbours and lockdown came and we all started to get to know each other.
If you’d like to pledge some of your time you can do it here
Actress @Vicky_McClure's #1MillionMinutes listening bench is located in Lister Gate in Nottingham.
She talks to @susannareid100 and @MartinSLewis about the inspiration behind the design.
Join the fight to end loneliness by pledging your time 👉 https://t.co/xpkrdeunLM pic.twitter.com/i5p1rl20wt
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) December 7, 2021
