Amongst Dying Matters Awareness Week, the Dying Matters campaign put together an event with the support of local businesses and organisations to get people taking about death.

The event, organised by The Methodist Housing Association, Penarth Town Council, Marie Curie, Cherished Memories and The Bereavement Journey, aimed to bring people together in a safe environment to talk about death and dying. A subject that’s often avoided by most people, and might even be considered taboo but this Dying Matter Awareness event hoped to change that attitude. 

When I attended the event, it was nice to see so many different organisations taking part, with friendly, well-informed representative to give you advice about a range of topics. I spoke with Richard Sproson and Lisa Derrick from MHA, a charity care provider that are dedicated to enabling older people to live later life well. In talking about the event, they said, “We’re hoping this event will help normalise the language around death and end of life care, teaching people how to start talking about it. We have been able to signpost people to the right charities and organisations so they can get the best information and support.”

Lisa Derrick added at the end, “It’s been great to see such great community support and we hope this event will only grow.”

As well as information stands, such as Marie Curie, MHA, Age Cymru and Wilson Morgan, there were also interesting and insightful talks led by welcoming professionals. It was so great to see the public engaging in these talks and being given the opportunities to ask questions. 

When speaking to Marie Curie Project Manager, Julie Skelton, she expressed how important these kind of events are. “Although perhaps we haven’t seen as many people as we’d like, there have been many members of the community popping in and out. And those who have come here today have really benefited and that’s all the matters.”

Julie goes on to say that this is their first event like this and they hope it will only get bigger, getting more people talking about this seemingly unconformable topic and providing a safe environment for them to do so. 

We hope to see Julie Skelton and the others next year for Dying Matters Awareness Week, and until then they will be hard at work providing excellent care and support.

You can find out more about Dying Matters Awareness on the Hospice UK website, and keep a look out for any other upcoming events.