# Chatty Park Pews National Trust's 'Bench Mates' Feature British Celebrity's Voices By Gemma Vardon | Published 2011-06-02 | Lifestyle Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/talking-benches1 References: [dailymail](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1392678/Rest-weary--Stephen-Fry-Miranda-Harts-voices-used-talking-benches-National-Trust-properties.html) & [nationaltrust.org.uk](http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-visits-benchmate.htm?campid=bench3) Eight celebrities have lent their voices to [National Trust's](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/londons-green-spaces) 'Bench Mates,' which are talking benches that will go into properties and gardens across Britain. The talking benches include personal stories and insights from the likes of Stephen Fry, Miranda Hart, John Sergeant and David Gower. Each has individual carvings on it which the specific celebrity has used to describe the historic surroundings -- from "thrill" to "beauty" and "serenity". They took over six months to create and are made from British-grown sweet chestnut. The idea is that you can plug a set of headphones into the talking benches and listen to the [celeb audio](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sainsburys-couch-to-christmas-day) as if they were sitting next to you at that very moment. National Trust's talking benches allow for your own personal guide to the property or garden. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 0.3/10 - Popularity: 1% | Activity: 1% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 70% men, 30% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Lifestyle](https://www.trendhunter.com/lifestyle) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Talking Furniture:** There is an opportunity to create talking furniture in other settings such as hotels or airports to guide or entertain guests. - **Personalized Audio Tours:** Personalized audio tours can be created with the voices of local celebrities, artists, or historians to enhance the experience for travelers visiting tourist destinations. - **Voice-activated Technology in Public Spaces:** Voice-activated technology can be used in public spaces, such as parks and museums, to provide information and entertainment to visitors. ### Where This Applies - **Tourism and Travel:** Tourist attractions can create personalized audio tours to improve visitors' experiences. - **Furniture Manufacturing:** Furniture manufacturers can incorporate voice-activated technology to create interactive and educational pieces. - **Entertainment Industry:** Celebrities and artists can collaborate with public spaces to create personalized audio content that enhances the visitor experience. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Two-Person Seesaw Benches](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/a-problem-halved.md) - [Kinetic Musical Benches](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/musical-bench.md) - [Artful Dockside Installations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/pews-and-perches.md) - [Book-Inspired Public Benches](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sit-down-to-read.md) - [Tranquil Reading Seating](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/chapters-furniture.md) - [19th-Century-Inspired Seating Collections](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/scottish-designers.md) - [Sculptural Public Seating](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sculptural-public-seating.md) - [Rotating Solar-Powered Benches](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/a-solarpowered-bench-that-spins-ever-so-slowly.md) - [Tree-Intertwined Metal Benches](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tenir-bench.md)