Everton have unveiled a talking bench at Hill Dickinson Stadium in memory of their former player Gary Speed
Everton unveiled a Gary Speed memorial at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday, a lasting tribute to one of the Blues’ most admired former players, and significantly, the club’s first-ever talking bench.
Talking benches have been introduced across the UK as a simple but powerful way to encourage conversation, tackle loneliness and isolation, and signpost people to mental health support. They offer a space where individuals can pause, speak openly, or simply sit alongside others without judgment.
Gary’s mother Carol was present to lay a bouquet of flowers and said: “I think it’s a fantastic idea. We didn’t know that Gary was struggling, people don’t always know what’s going on in people’s minds.
“It was 14 years on Thursday since he left us, and social media was full of people remembering him and it was really amazing. We thought he was a legend, but we didn’t realise that so many others also felt that.
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“My story was that I didn’t know. It’s so important just to tell somebody.
“I wished we’d have known how he was feeling. He always had a big smile on his face.
“I’ve done the tour of the new stadium, it’s absolutely fantastic, it’s brilliant. Gary was always an Everton supporter as a child – because his dad was Liverpool!
“I’m very proud of him, for what he did. It’s not the years in your life but the life in years and he lived it to the full.
“My family are all down south now, so there’s only me up here. Thursday was hard, but you’ve just got to keep pushing yourself to keep going – all of this is a great honour.”
There were also representatives of both Everton and Newcastle United supporters, two of the clubs that Speed served with distinction. David Wycherley of the Everton Fans’ Forum said:
“It’s a new stadium but we still have our memories and now Gary’s lives on. It’s not what anyone would have wanted but hopefully it becomes a real positive influence in the future and gets us talking.
“Football is sometimes the spark for us to get together, and this can hopefully start some of those conversations.
“I’ve had my own mental health struggles over the years and I think Gary’s passing hit a lot of us. I just remember watching a video with Dan Walker and I thought it’s something that we should do here.
“Gary is a legend in the game. He was fantastic for a lot of top clubs, Newcastle, Leeds, Bolton as well as Everton.
“So, I approached the club and said: ‘Look, we’re moving to a new stadium, maybe we have a bench where people can get together and talk.’ Sometimes it’s important to talk, to get past what the team is going to be or who is the referee, ask each other how you’re getting on, how life is, how your relationships are, how things are in work.
“As always, Everton listens and it’s now a thing which is beautiful to be honest.”
Michael McCarthy of the Newcastle United Fan Advisory Board said: “It’s huge that we were both represented today, he was massive for both clubs wasn’t he? A real character, a real figure.
“On the pitch you can have a good bit of rivalry and banter but at the end of the day, we’re all just following a sport we love, we’re all just normal people. That should come through, there’s a lot of people that struggle to reach out but football is the place to start and the first point where you can turn to someone and say: ‘Are you alright? How’s things?’
“In time, this could be the place where you could turn to your mate and say: ‘Actually, I’m not alright.’ If that could happen from this, that would be phenomenal.”
Everton in the Community staff will be on duty by the bench, wearing distinctive orange tabards, to assist with anyone who needs help and another Blues fan Sam is someone they have already assisted. He said: “Hopefully it’s a turning point and massive thing. Mental health issues are something we all have and it’s how you deal with those struggles and I think Everton in the Community can really help people.
“For myself, it’s been life-saving. For anyone who has been really struggling, the important message of the bench is reach out because the help is there.
“Everton have helped me in more ways than I could ever describe. They’ve taken me from a place where I couldn’t even leave the house to a place where I’m ready to do my volunteering.
“It’s a place where I couldn’t even have imagined myself being 12 months ago. The improvement has been massive, I really do credit Everton in the Community for saving my life.
“It would be great to see people using the bench and showing there is no stigma in talking, whether it’s on a matchday or any day. We’re here to help.”
Carol was joined by Everton ambassador Graham Stuart who was one of Speed’s team-mates during his time at Goodison Park. Stuart said: “It was a hugely poignant moment for us. It’s fantastic to have Carol with us on such an important occasion.
“It’s a great bench and the idea behind it is fantastic. We all recognise more than ever now that there are mental health issues across the world, including across this country.
“It’s important that people speak and this is a great place for people to meet and try and get the help that they need. It’s a tribute to Gary, and we’d never forget him anyway because he was a special guy, but I’m sure all the family will be happy that he’s got his own legacy here now at Everton Football Club.
“Even if we can save one, two, three people, this bench will have more than done its job. The bigger picture is that there are many people, I wouldn’t say they need the courage to speak, but they need a facility, to help them do so and that’s the whole idea of this bench.
“Gary was an infectious character. First and foremost, he was a real professional on the field, he was a great goalscorer and one of the best midfield players that I’ve ever seen when it came to timing his runs into the box and scoring, we saw that first hand at Everton.
“The most important thing for me was that he was a good person. He was funny, charismatic, painfully good looking for a fella – that was the annoying thing – he was brilliant, and he had a fantastic laugh as he was the sort of guy that when he laughed, it made you laugh too.
“We all miss him. But I said to Carol: ‘The most important thing is that you’ve got fantastic memories and so have we.’”
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