Brentford FC Donates Park Benches to Get People Talking
Teams up with Hounslow Council to support conversations about mental health
Cllr Shaheen with Brentford player Fabio Carvalho and Michael Caulfield. Picture: Brentford FC
October 10, 2025
To mark World Mental Health Day, Brentford FC and Hounslow Council have launched a new initiative to encourage open conversations about mental health in the community. A series of benches are being installed in public parks across West London, each designed to provide a welcoming space for reflection and dialogue, while signposting visitors to professional support services.
The benches form part of Brentford FC’s ongoing mental health campaign, *Talking is the Best Tactic*, which aims to use the power of football to promote wellbeing and reduce stigma. The first bench was unveiled at Robin Grove Recreation Ground on 10 October , with further installations planned at Lampton Park, Strand on the Green Recreation Ground, Carville Hill Park, and Waterman’s Park—locations frequently used by fans walking to the Gtech Community Stadium.
Each bench includes information about crisis support and mental health services, and is accompanied by flower beds to create a calm and inviting environment. The concept was inspired by Brentford’s sports psychologist Michael Caulfield, who introduced similar benches at the club’s training ground to offer players and staff a safe space to talk.
Speaking at the launch, Mr Caulfield said, “The bench has been placed in the community where anyone walking past can sit and just have a chat. You can’t get through anything in isolation. Any private problem can only begin to be solved by talking to someone else.”
Brentford player Fábio Carvalho also attended the opening and shared his perspective on the importance of open conversations. “Everyone needs someone they can speak to openly,” he said. “Being able to have that open conversation when things aren’t going the way you want them to go is beneficial both on and off the pitch.”
The initiative builds on Brentford FC’s wider community work, including free monthly drop-in events hosted by Brentford FC Community Sports Trust and sessions such as BeeActive Football and Comedy for Thought, which combine physical activity and creative expression with therapeutic support.
The benches were delivered in partnership with the London Borough of Hounslow, which has worked with Brentford FC Community Sports Trust and NHS West London Trust since 2021 to support residents’ mental and physical health. Councillor Salman Shaheen, Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Public Spaces, said, “Mental health, and suicide, is an issue that sadly touches many families, my own included. If that little reminder on a bench in a park saves even one life, then it will have made a difference.”
Brentford FC is one of 10 clubs participating in the Premier League’s Together Against Suicide programme, which aims to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and encourage help-seeking behaviours through sport.
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