In May 2024, I began my 'park benching' initiative where I sit on different on park benches across London with a simple invite: "Come join me for a chat".

Having dealt with mental health difficulties from a young age myself, I wanted to open-up the mental health conversation among Londoners. With suicide statistics at an all-time high, why are we still struggling to talk about it?

In doing park benching, I’ve met over 100 incredible people who have kindly shared their stories with me. I've discussed everything from suicide, life-changing accidents, healthcare visibility in Nigeria, anxiety-induced teeth loss and generational trauma to Parisian pastries, ghosting, gallery hopping, periods and motor racing. You name it – I’ve (probably) discussed it!

The aim of my initiative is to combat mental health stigma and to make people feel less alone. By documenting these conversations on my @thatparkbenchgirl Instagram account, I hope to reinforce the importance of creating space for others without fear of judgement.

My interest in mental health comes from both research and hands-on experience. For my master’s degree in public health, I explored how appearance-editing apps like ‘FaceTune’ can affect women’s mental health and self-perception, which sparked a deeper interest in the relationship between digital culture and wellbeing.

Since then, I’ve worked closely with people facing complex health challenges, including supporting patients at a private online chronic pain management clinic specialising in medical cannabis, where I carried out suicide risk assessments and helped put support plans in place for those at risk.

More recently, qualifying as a Mental Health First Aider has strengthened my ability to support people who open up about their mental health, always with empathy, space and best practice in mind.

Alongside my professional work, I volunteer with several men’s mental health charities where I’ve co-delivered talks to high-profile organisations such as Hugo Boss and written blog posts on a range of mental health topics. My experience within the mental health field continually reinforces this is the space I want to grow in.