Every year, people around the UK use Dying Matters Awareness Week, led by Hospice UK, as a moment to encourage all communities to get talking in whatever way, shape or form works for them.
Death, dying and bereavement affect us all. Yet 27% of people find it hard to talk about death with family or friends, and 30% bottle their feelings up.* If we don’t talk about death and dying and bereavement, it can be harder to cope when we experience it.
The mission of Dying Matters is to break down the stigma and taboo of talking about death and dying. But sometimes, it’s hard to know where to start.
This Dying Matters Awareness Week is focusing on the importance of conversations about death and dying – with family, friends, employers, anyone in your life – helping people to get the conversation started.
We’ve compiled a list of events happening across Leeds for Dying Matters Awareness Week below, funded by the Leeds Palliative Care Network. Alternatively, for more information or to find out how to host your own event, visit the Dying Matters website.
| Thursday, 30 April 10 am – 12 pm Hamara Cafe Tempest Road, Beeston, LS11 6RD | Chai, Memories and Conversations Join for a welcoming session reflecting on life and loss, sharing experiences and memories in a trusted, friendly environment. aimed at older adults from diverse faith and ethnic backgrounds. The session will provide a safe, informal, and culturally sensitive environment where participants can engage in guided discussions around memory, loss, and end-of-life awareness. Using Dying Matters resources and conversation prompts, we will support participants in reflecting on their experiences and sharing perspectives at their own comfort level. |
| Tuesday, 5 – Thursday, 7 May 10 am – 3 pm Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust Gledhow Wing, St James’ Hospital, LS9 7TF | The Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust End of Life Care Team is inviting you to meet the palliative care team and hospital chaplaincy on Tuesday, 5 May, at the entrance to the Gledhow Wing at St James’ Hospital, where an information stand will be available to staff, patients and visitors. |
| Thursday, 7 May 11 am – 1 pm Partnership between LS14 Trust, Seacroft Primary Care Network, and We Are Seacroft. Imagination Station, 35 Ramshead Hill, LS14 1HH | Let’s Talk About Death and Dying The event will create a welcoming space for residents of LS14 to explore grief, loss and conversations about death in a compassionate and supportive environment. Through creative activities, informative sessions and opportunities for open discussion, the event will help normalise conversations about dying, bereavement, and planning for the future. Find out more here: https://connectedseacroft.org/events/lets-talk-about-death-and-dying |
| Wednesday, 6 May 10 am – 12 pm Age UK Leeds Mark Lane, Leeds, LS2 8JA | Funerals Your Way The workshop will explore the options and choices around funerals and the rituals associated with remembering a life, and how to plan for this. This workshop will discuss the options and choices available to everyone connected to creating a meaningful funeral experience, and will delve deeper into the following areas: Personal care of someone who has died Visiting someone who has died Creative choices prior to the day of the funeral Options around different types of funerals, and how these can be created Memorial ideas after the funeral has taken place Bereavement care moving forward The research we carried out with Leeds University, which has informed our practice (full details of this report can be found here – Research – What constitutes a “good” funeral – Full Circle Funerals) Recording the information important to you, and who to pass this onto The session is completely free and will be run in person. Refreshments, including cake and biscuits, will be provided by Age UK Leeds. |
| Saturday, 9 May 1 pm – 3 pm Swan Song Project Music & Performing Arts Library, Calverley Street, Leeds LS1 3AB | Swan Song Event The Swan Song Project is a Leeds-based charity that helps terminally Ill and bereaved people to write and record original songs. Since 2017, the charity has helped over 150 families to write their Swan Songs. They now have a team of songwriters and offer their unique service nationwide. They believe in Celebrating Lives, Making Memories and Leaving Legacies. This event will be a chance for people to share their songs publicly and meet others who have also written Swan Songs. Each song with be introduced by it’s writer (Or a family member if the writer has since passed away), we will then listen to it together. We will mostly be listening to the recorded versions of the songs, but we may also have some live performances. The event is free to attend, but tickets must be reserved in advance via their Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/songshare-with-the-swan-song-project-dying-matters-week-special-tickets-1981761215142?aff=erelexpmlt#location |