Yesterday I went to my first *Death Café!
Death Cafés have been going in the States for several years now but are still relatively new in the UK. The idea behind the Cafés is to simply give people a respectful and confidential space to talk about anything related to death. Typically a group of people, usually strangers, sit in groups with a cup of tea and a piece of cake and just chat about anything they feel they want to (around death). The objective is ‘to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives’.
At our café yesterday we had a mix of people (about 20), from different walks of life. Some, like myself, are involved in the ‘industry’ (funeral directors, celebrants, end of life Doulas) but most were simply there because they wanted/needed to talk….. about unresolved grief, strategies for dealing with the death of a loved one, the practicalities of the funeral process, the choices available (and whether we are always given them), whether we should bring kids with us to the funeral…. and many other topics, including why talking about death is still ‘taboo’ in this country!
Would you visit a Death Café?
For more information about Death Cafés or to find one near you, visit https://deathcafe.com/
*Death Café Hyndburn: https://www.facebook.com/deathcafehyndburn/
Death Café Lancashire Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2592370834327856/