Falmouth becomes home to park bench inspired by Netflix series 'After Life'
25 have been installed across the UK to help people struggling with bereavement
A park bench inspired by the Netflix show 'After Life' has been installed in Falmouth to help bereaved residents.
Throughout the popular series, a bench has been the pivotal spot for characters, including Ricky Gervais’ character Tony Johnson, to grieve for his wife Lisa and reflect on poignant topics.
To promote the third and final series of After Life and to raise awareness for charity CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably), Netflix have installed benches in 25 locations across the UK, including here in Cornwall.
The bench has been put up in Gyllyngdune Gardens, part of the Princess Pavillion complex, and is designed to be somewhere to sit, reflect, share, listen and chat, much like Ricky Gervais' character does in the series.
The port of Falmouth, Falmouth Town Council and local Falmouth and Cornish bereaved residents have thanked Netflix and CALM for the bench donation, which is marked with the words: ‘Hope is Everything’.
Kim Gray and Brod Ross, both of whom have lost their spouses in recent years, came together with their dogs at the Falmouth bench to honour their husband and wife and reflect on the legacy of their lives together.
Kim's husband Stuart passed away in 2015 with cancer, leaving her (age 44) and her two children to navigate an after life without him. Since then, she has become the Cornwall co-ordinator for Widowed and Young and sits on the advisory board for Cornwall Bereavement Network.
She said: “I can relate to the character, Tony, in After Life. He acts out a lot of how bereavement can make you feel. In reality, our inhibitions tend to keep our behaviour in check, but inside, we feel the loss of our partner every day and really don’t have the patience or emotional capacity for the small, everyday things that seem unimportant. Sometimes, people you least expect are the ones that reach out and you make connections with and often, it is those who have been through some tragic life event themselves that make that connection.
“Connecting with others who have been through similar has really helped me process the overwhelming feelings and sometimes despair that goes with losing someone you have shared your life with so closely. For me, networks like CALM and Widowed and Young are like an online park bench where you can connect with others and also support others as you navigate your way through life after bereavement. The bench is a symbol for reflection, getting out of your comfort zone, and finding a support network that gets you through each day. Losing a partner really does feel like ‘After Life’. You are defined by life before and life after, how you choose to live after varies enormously from person to person.”
Falmouth Town Councillor Brod Ross lost his wife, former MP and Cornwall and Falmouth councillor Candy Atherton when she died of a stroke in 2017. Brod, whom Candy married in 2002 after seven years together, said she had suffered ill health for many years, inheriting medical issues from her father Dennis, and spent the last four in a wheelchair. The location of the AFTER LIFE x CALM bench in the gardens at the Princess Pavilion is particularly poignant for Brod as that was where he first met Candy in 1995 when she came to Cornwall on her election campaign trail.
Brod said: “I was at a quiz night at the Princess Pavilion and it was love and lust at first sight,” he said. “I danced with her there and at that time I was a student at Falmouth School of Art and had an exhibition, so invited her and that was that.”
The couple were also dog lovers, so Brod feels a particular understanding of the vital role that Ricky Gervais’ dog plays in the Netflix series. “Candy was very much a dog person and had a pet personality,” said Brod. “She was very loyal, that was part of her psychology.”
Of the new benches, of which there are 25 across the UK, Ricky Gervais said: “We hope the benches will create a lasting legacy for After Life, as well as become a place for people to visit, and we are thrilled to be associated with CALM and the great work they do.”
The benches, created by Made by Blah, are inscribed with a well-known quote from the series, ‘Hope is everything’, and those who visit the bench will be able to access help and resources from CALM via a QR code.
All of the locations of the CALM After Life benches:
• Ashford, Victoria Park
• Bath, Sydney Gardens
• Birmingham, Cotton Park
• Bristol, Ashton Court
• Cardiff, Parc Cefn Onn
• Cardiff, Victoria Park
• Edinburgh, Calton Hill
• Falmouth, Gyllyngdune Gardens
• Glasgow, Glasgow Green
• Liverpool, Stanley Park
• Liverpool, Woolton Walled Gardens
• London, Highgate Wood, NIO 3JN
• London, Parliament Hill
• London, Queens Park
• London, Ravenscourt Park
• London, Rookery Gardens & Woodland
• London, York House Gardens
• Manchester, Wythenshawe Park
• Minehead, Blenheim Gardens
• Newcastle, Exhibition Park
• Nottingham, Arboretum
• Nottingham, Highfields Park
• Surrey Heath, Lightwater Country Park
• Taunton, Vivary Park
Simon Gunning, chief executive of CALM, said: “Park benches provide opportunities to reflect, talk to someone, sit shoulder to shoulder with someone and get things off your chest.
“That is why we’re delighted to team up with Netflix to put benches in parks across the country – inscribed with that crucial line from the show, 'Hope is everything' – to help people have those conversations and to show it’s normal to have those feelings.”
Show creator Ricky Gervais recently revealed that the third series of the show will be the last.
The multi-talented actor and writer told The Mirror: “I've already made my mind up there won't be a four.
“And you do put those things out there to make you remember as it's tempting but… there's an old saying: 'To lead the orchestra, you've got to turn your back on the audience.'
"That's true. The audience think they want another one, but they're not sure. So you've got to be careful."
Afterlife series three is available to watch now on Netflix.