The Friendship Bench in Sussex
Diversity Resource International (DRI) is co-leading a pilot research project to evidence the effectiveness and feasibility of the first Friendship Benches in southeast England.
The Friendship Bench is an internationally-recognised mental health intervention model founded by Professor Dixon Chibanda.
Since its foundation in Zimbabwe, the model has been replicated across communities in diverse parts of the world including the United States, Canada, Kenya, El Salvador, Malawi, Zanzibar, Vietnam, and Jordan.
The uniqueness of the mental health support provided under The Friendship Bench model relies in various factors:
Community-based
Friendship Benches around the world are led by trained community members who want to help others. They’re often based in community spaces that are trusted by local individuals.
Safety and accessibility
The goal is for Friendship Benches to remain as accessible as possible for whoever needs them regardless of their socio-economic background or condition.
Research evidence
The Friendship based model is heavily supported by hundreds of research projects that prove its effectiveness in different communities and countries. Continuous research and development are at its core.
Bringing the Friendship Bench to Sussex
A timeline of events
3rd of March, 2025
Friendship Benchers Training
Across a four-day period, ten individuals were trained by Professor Dixon Chibanda and Diana Ceccolini in Falmer, East Sussex. Some of these individuals were selected to provide preventative mental health support, while others took on different roles within the project.
3rd of March, 2025
2nd of July, 2025
2nd of July, 2025
Call for participants
After finalising all important coordination details and receiving ethics approval from the Brighton and Sussex Medical School, the Friendship Bench went public and we started to receive sign-ups from interested individuals.
30th July, 2025
Registrations close
After four weeks, 53 people had filled out the registration form and were invited to continue the process by completing an initial assessment in order to participate in the pilot research.
30th of July, 2025
31st of July, 2025
31st of July, 2025
Assessment outcomes
39 people completed the initial assessment. However, given the tight criteria for the research, we couldn’t guarantee a place for everyone
- 10 people joined the control group.
What is a control group?
In a research project or clinical trial, a control group is a group of people who do not receive the intervention being tested. This group is used as a comparison to help researchers see whether the new activity (in this case, the mental health sessions) actually makes a difference.
- 9 people were signposted to professionals who could provide support for more complex cases.
- 8 people withdrew due to logistical mismatch (i.e. they weren’t available during the days or times that the Friendship Benchers were).
11th of August, 2025
We officially had three active Friendship Benches!
12 people were matched to a trained Friendship Bencher and started to receive support in one of the three available locations:
- Lewes Bench: located at DRI’s office.
- Brighton Bench: located at the Jubilee Library.
- Eastbourne Bench: located at the Eastbourne Library.
11th of August, 2025
22nd of September, 2025
22nd of September, 2025
The research process begins
6 weeks of support provision allowed us to collect data. Now, it’s time for the researchers to analyse the findings and write the research study for future publication.
We hope that the results from this pilot project will open doors to set up new benches across other areas of the UK and welcome a wider scope of participants to receive support for free.
If you would be interested in receiving preventative mental health support in the future or get training to become a friendship bencher, fill in the form below.
18th of December, 2025
22nd of September, 2025
First Stakeholder Webinar
A Sussex Friendship Bench Stakeholder Webinar was hosted to update stakeholders on the progress and early insights from the Sussex Friendship Bench pilot.
The attendees included:
- East Sussex County Council Community Mental Health Team
- East Sussex County Council Public Health Team
- Local GP from Brighton
- Prof Dixon Chibanda, founder of Friendship Bench Zimbabwe
- Dr. Moitree Banerjee, Head of School of Law, Business and Psychology at Chichester University
- Robel Ghirmay, Eritrean Community Organisation, London
- Yaa Asare and Mebrak Ghebreweldi, DRI Directors
21st of May, 2026
22nd of September, 2025
Second Stakeholder Webinar
Brighton and Sussex Medical School, alongside DRI, will be presenting the pilot findings in the Sussex Friendship Bench Webinar to local authorities, mental health organisations and ethnic led Sussex organisations.
More information about the project
The mental health support sessions for the Friendship Bench pilot project ran from the 11th of August to the 21st of September, 2025. Support was provided to selected participants from migrant, refugee, asylum-seeking, and ethnic minority backgrounds living in Sussex.
Adults aged 18 or over who met all three of the following criteria:
- Live in Sussex.
- Are from migrant, refugee or ethnic minority backgrounds.
- Wanted support for low mood, anxiety, loneliness, or other mental health needs.
6 free weekly talking therapy sessions based in problem-solving techniques. These sessions were delivered by trained Friendship Benchers who supported them to:
- Feel less stressed, anxious, or low
- Talk through their worries in a safe space
- Build confidence and feel more connected to their emotions
Prior to the sessions, participants filled in a short mental health questionnaire (about 15–20 minutes). During the 6 weeks of support, they also:
- Joined the one-hour weekly talking therapy sessions focused on problem-solving.
- Filled in short questionnaires after each session.
- Filled in a final questionnaire after 6 weeks.
- Will be invited to a one-time interview (this is optional).
- Taking part is each participant’s choice. They can withdraw their consent at any time.
- Everything participants shared during the sessions is private and won’t be shared with researchers.
- Information from the questionnaires is being kept safe and anonymised for research purposes.
- We have given participants a list of other support services in case they feel distressed.
- Their information is protected under UK data protection laws.
Mental health needs are growing rapidly as loneliness, depression, anxiety and isolation rise, leaving overstretched NHS services unable to cope. The 2023 IAPT report shows minoritised communities face longer waits and poorer outcomes in statutory care.
Furthermore, stigma, cultural barriers and accessibility issues prevent many people from getting help – Mind found in 2025 that only 30% of ethnically minoritised communities, compared to 60% of the general population, feel comfortable talking about their thoughts and feelings.
By shifting support in Sussex to trusted community spaces, community-based mental health support reduces barriers to care, strengthen local organisations and prevent escalation into crisis services directly aligning with the NHS 10-year strategic plan.
The long-term impact is a more connected, happy, healthy and participating community where ethnically minoritised members are empowered to address the issues affecting us.
Firstly, DRI plans to upskill current mental health benchers to become certified trainers to create local capacity to train new benchers.
Secondly, these certified trainers train new benchers that are based in various Sussex-based community organisations embedding the infrastructure within Sussex to provide one-on-one support.
Thirdly, we plan to transition from the pilot phase to full implementation reaching over 300 individuals in the next 3 years. And ultimately, we will build towards sustainable, community-based mental health capacity.
Contact details
If you have any questions or would like to receive more information, please contact us at community@driorg.com or 07586340592. For media enquiries, please email comms@driorg.com.