You will probably have heard of Empty Chairs or even Chicken Rush, but you may not know their creator, Dean Perryman. Dean didn't grow up talking about his emotions but after the loss of his best friend Rob to suicide at the end of 2025, Dean established Empty Chairs, a grassroots movement tackling loneliness by encouraging people to meet in public spaces for informal and open conversation. This episode comes at 'caring' from a new angle; how can we care for each other in our day-to-day even if we don't have "traditional" caregiving responsibilities..

Helplines & suicide support services:

Call Samaritans on 116 123 (available 24/7)

Call Mind on 0300 102 1234 (9am-6pm Monday-Friday)

For young people:

Call Papyrus 0300 102 2470 (available 24/7) or text HOPE to 88247

Links:

Empty Chairs website: emptychairs.org.uk

Empty Chairs Instagram: @emptychairsuk

Chicken Rush website: chickenru.sh

Chicken Rush Instagram: @thechickenrush

Who Cares Instagram: @whocarespod_