Cape Town’s Amy Foundation has unveiled the Kind Heart Bench, a powerful new symbol of kindness, community and mental wellness.
Cape Town, South Africa (19 June 2025) – There’s a new place to sit in Cape Town, but it’s more than just a bench. Painted in bright, hopeful yellow and inscribed with messages of compassion, the newly unveiled Kind Heart Bench now stands proudly at the Amy Foundation headquarters in Sybrand Park. Its purpose? To be a quiet companion in moments of stillness, a place for reflection, laughter, and even tears; a small, sturdy symbol of everything kind hearts can do.
The Kind Heart Bench is the product of a heartfelt collaboration between the Amy Foundation, Uthando South Africa, GILTEDGE Travel, and Bradley Bailey, the creative force behind the Kind Heart Bench Project. Designed to offer more than a moment of rest, it invites those who sit there to pause, connect, and know they are not alone.
“This is more than just a donation,” said Michelle Bagley, COO of the Amy Foundation. “It’s a living symbol of generosity and a quiet invitation to pause, to connect, and to lead with kindness.”
The bench is already doing its job. During a recent afternoon, one of the Amy Foundation’s After School Programme facilitators was spotted sharing a joyful laugh with a student (pictured above) a moment made even more meaningful by the setting.
“This bench reminds us that one kind heart can spark a chain of change,” said Aishah, Marketing and Communications Assistant at the Foundation.
Its sunny hue was no accident. Chosen deliberately, the yellow symbolises happiness, mental clarity, optimism, and hope, a perfect match for the intention behind it. With its welcoming curves and calming design, every detail of the bench was created with purpose.
“This bench was created with intention – every line, every colour, every curve meant to invite connection, stillness, and hope,” shared Bradley Bailey, sponsor and Creative Director of the project. “It’s a space where someone might find comfort, clarity, or even the courage to reach out.”
In addition to its emotional significance, the Kind Heart Bench also serves a very real and practical purpose: mental health support. Incorporated into the bench are four plaques, each offering easy access to helplines and services from SADAG, Hope House, and other partners. It’s one more way the Amy Foundation and Uthando South Africa are working to destigmatise mental wellness and bring support into the spaces where people live, learn and connect.
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At Uthando, mental wellness is a cornerstone of community upliftment.
“The Kind Heart Bench is a beautiful example of what happens when organisations unite with a common purpose – to uplift, to heal, and to connect,” said James Fernie, Founder of Uthando South Africa. “It’s not just sponsorship – it’s a legacy of kindness that will touch many lives for years to come.”
This isn’t the last Kind Heart Bench you’ll see either, plans are already underway for more installations, each one a quiet act of revolution in a world that could always use more gentleness.
In a time where the world often moves too fast, the Kind Heart Bench is a reason to slow down. To take a breath. To sit beside someone and remember what we’re all capable of when we lead with compassion.
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