Man who fills spare time by visiting and rating the UK's public benches is yet to find a 10/10
A man who has devoted his spare time to visiting and rating public benches in the UK has admitted he is still on the hunt for the elusive ‘10/10 bench’.
Sam Wilmot, 23, has visited 200 benches and has given them marks out of 10 for a whole plethora of criteria, covering factors like level of comfort and how good the view is.
He documents his findings on his bench-dedicated Instagram page, which is - unsurprisingly - filled with him sitting on various benches.
His hilarious ratings are the little pick-me-up everyone could do with in 2020.
In one of his recent posts, he speaks about the Bridgewater War Memorial, going into detail about the type of bench and what makes it a good one.
Wilmot wrote: “As this style of 3-plank bench goes this is one of the better ones, the iron frame work, well crafted and thick planks that once upon a time had a nice varnished finish makes this a good bench.
“It’s situated in a nicely kept war memorial garden in Bridgwater, has a lovely stone base and has a nice plaque. The bench was a good height and the back rest well angled. Overall, 5/10.”
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While he’s still on the hunt for his 10/10, Wilmot did come very close with a solid 9/10 in Somerset.
Speaking of the bench, he explained: “If you ever wondered why this page exists, it’s for moments like this. A solid bench, comfortable seating, firm arm rests, a touching plaque and a slabbed base.
“I’d love to have a bench such as this dedicated to me one day. Quality, 9/10.
“The reason this is not a 10 is because I don’t know what the perfect bench will be until I have rated my final bench and reflect on the best ones.”
Wilmot is a hard bench reviewer to please, but he suspects he won’t find the perfect bench until he has reviewed all of the benches in the UK.
It’s a hard job, but somebody has to do it. Or do they? It’s hard to tell, but it’s undeniable that this whimsical Instagram account will bring a little bit of joy to some people’s day.
