By Richard Jenkins

Copyright dailystar

Beloved TV personality Timmy Mallett is championing a heartfelt cause – encouraging blokes to open up and have proper chats. The entertainer has teamed up with hundreds of men nationwide to construct a collection of ‘buddy benches’ designed to trigger up to 200,000 additional conversations between men. The initiative, called “Mission: Shoulder to Shoulder”, follows research involving 2,000 adults which revealed that half of men find it simpler to have conversations whilst engaged in an activity – rather than simply sitting face-to-face with someone. It is set to happen in two phases – initially getting men to collaborate on bench-building in workshop spaces. While the second phase will see these benches installed in parks, with hopes they’ll encourage conversations. The drive comes after alcohol education platform DRINKiQ and the UK Men’s Sheds Association (UKMSA), monitored 21 public benches across the country to see how often they were actually used by people to chat. It found that across Scotland down to the South West of England, park benches sparked an average of 5.5 conversations per day, totalling over 2,000 annually. By adding 100 benches into the mix the initiative hopes to spark considerably more. To kick the campaign off, Timmy Mallett collaborated with ‘Shedders’ at Black Park Shed in Buckinghamshire to craft their bench, one of the 100 which will appear nationwide. However, in Mallett style he was more of a hindrance than a help, as his whimsical attempt resulted in something resembling an odd vehicle rather than proper seating. Speaking about the initiative, the former Wacaday host said: “We need to get people talking. If you put two men in a room and ask them to have a deep and meaningful conversation, they might scarper. “But if you put them at a work bench, shoulder to shoulder, you often get work-bench buddies. “They might not fix much, or build much, but they’ll get chatting, and those conversations can brighten a day – or even change a life.” Research reports that four in ten blokes never initiate conversations or discuss their troubles with anyone outside of their close circle. This is because they assume others wouldn’t be interested, or are too shy or awkward to start a conversation, often leaving them to deal with their feelings alone. Elisabeth Rochford, DRINKiQ ambassador, said: “Older men consume more alcohol than any other cohort, with around four in 10 men between the ages of 55 and 74 drinking more than the Chief Medical Officer’s ‘low risk’ guideline of 14 units per week. “That level of consumption, which is characterised by more frequent consumption than other age groups, doesn’t always happen in a vacuum. “But rather because of a vacuum created by life-stage and age-related factors such as retirement, empty-nesting, separation or bereavement. “Men’s Sheds are a demonstration of how social community outlets can provide a different option for men in this age bracket.”