News
Will you enter the Dragon's Den?
Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief members are being invited to take part in our very own Dragon’s Den, as part of a stakeholder networking event taking place in Edinburgh on 30th September.
Those who dare will have the opportunity to deliver a 5 minute pitch to fellow delegates, describing a project they’d like to undertake as part of To Absent Friends this year. Everyone present gets a vote, and the project that wins the most votes in a secret ballot at the end wins £250 to put the project into action.
Death Dragon's Den is part of an interesting and varied programme at Life, Death, Grief Gets Practical, a networking event for people in Scotland who are interested in promoting more openness about death, dying and bereavement. Organised by Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief, the event will provide delegates with opportunities to:
- hear about Scottish initiatives relevant to promoting openness about death, dying and bereavement
- share ideas for developing work in this area in the future
- network with people who share an interest in this area
- win £250 to support their participation in To Absent Friends, a people's festival of storytelling and remembrance this November
Attendance is free, but you need to book in advance. For more information about the programme for the day, and to book, visit our Eventbrite page: programme information and booking
If you’d like to participate in Dragon’s Den, email Rebecca with a 250 word summary of the project you’d like to pitch. Closing date is Wednesday 16th September, and you’ll hear by Thursday 24thSeptember whether you’ve been chosen to give your pitch on the day. (We’ll accommodate as many people as we can, but time will be limited, so we can’t guarantee everyone 5 minutes to pitch.)
Death on the Fringe
After its success last year, we're pleased to be bringing Death on the Fringe back to the Edinburgh Festival fringe again this August.
Death on the Fringe is a series of shows that look at death and dying from different perspectives – some serious, some comical – but all contributing to the debate on death and end of life matters.
Thirteen diverse shows are lined up to be part of Death on the Fringe, including comedian Jack Rooke, who examines how we treat bereaved people; A Gambler’s Guide To Dying, the story of one boy’s grandad who, diagnosed with cancer, gambled his savings on living to the year 2000; and Fiesta de Los Muertos a music, theatre, and storytelling show, inspired by the Mexican Day of the Dead.
For a full list of all shows, check out the Death on the Fringe website.
This year we're excited to be expanding on the festival with a Lecture Series and Cabaret Evening. The Death on the Fringe Lectures bring eminent medical, academic and end-of-life care professionals to Edinburgh to discuss the latest thinking on the topic, stimulating discussion and challenging established ideas.
The Death on the Fringe Cabaret, will be an evening of poetry, music and performance reflecting upon life, death and grief, featuring established local performers.The Edinburgh Fringe is the world's largest arts festival with attendances of over 2 million. It has a history of showing cutting edge and thought provoking arts events, making it the ideal place to encourage more public openness and debate about death, dying and bereavement. Death on the Fringe embraces artistic endeavours which promote exploration and discussion of death, dying and bereavement, neither endorsing nor censoring the views put forward within performances.
Death on the Fringe takes place between 7 and 31 August. Find out more at the Death on the Fringe website. You can keep up to date by following @DeathOnFringe on twitter.
Dying Matters Awareness Week
To mark Dying Matters Awareness Week 2015 we are promoting new resources that help people know what to expect and how to help when someone they care about is dying.
What to expect when someone important to you is dying was produced by the National Council for Palliative Care, Hospice UK and Sue Ryder. With their kind permission, we've put this well-written and approachable document into a Scottish context and made the information available to members of the public via the NHS Inform website.
Designed for carers, families and friends of dying people, this new online resource tries to answer some of the questions people may have about what happens in the very last days and hours of a person's life...
What happens when someone is dying?
Will a person's pain get worse as they get closer to dying?
Should I be worried?
What can I do to help?
Mark Hazelwood, Chief Executive of the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care said:
"When a person you care about is dying, you want to do what is best for that person. Not knowing what to expect or how to help can make a distressing time even worse.
"Dying is unpredictable. It is not always possible to know for sure that a person is in the last days of life, or to predict exactly when a person will die.
"However, there are certain bodily changes that show a person is likely to be close to death. Some of these changes may be distressing, but it can be reassuring to know what to expect and how to help.
"This resource aims to provide information about some of the common changes that occur when someone is near the end of life, and some suggestions of how friends, family and carers might provide support during this time - a situation which will affect nearly everyone at some point."
Access the new resources here: weblink.
Thanks to the National Council for Palliative Care, Sue Ryder and Hospice UK for their kind permission to reproduce content from their publication What to expect when someone important to you is dying, which can be downloaded or purchased from the NCPC website.
Scottish Charity Award Finalists
We are delighted to find out that To Absent Friends has been shortlisted for the Cracking Campaign category in the 2015 Scottish Charity Awards.
Organised by Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), the Awards celebrate the amazing work of charities, community groups and people across Scotland who dedicate themselves to making Scotland a better place to live.
Being shortlisted for this award is fantastic recognition of the work of Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief members across Scotland.
To Absent Friends, a people’s festival of storytelling and remembrance, provided opportunities for people across Scotland to remember and tell stories about dead loved ones. It was born out of a desire to address some of the social isolation experienced by people who’ve been bereaved.
Martin Sime, Chief Executive, SCVO, said:
“All the finalists have shown that they go the extra mile to help others. So much of that work goes unseen and unheard, but the Scottish Charity Awards shines a light on it so we can all say a big thank you.”
Your vote counts
All shortlisted entries will also compete for the People’s Choice Award which will be decided by the public. Winning this award would be a great boost to the profile of the important work underway across Scotland to build a culture that is more open and supportive when it comes to death, dying and bereavement. To make sure To Absent Friends is in with a chance of winning, please go to the SCVO website to cast your vote.
Awareness week coming this May
Dying Matters Awareness Week will take place from 18-24 May, encouraging people to take a few simple steps to make end of life experiences better, both for themselves and for their loved ones.
Across Scotland people will be getting involved by putting on their own events. For example, after a successful event last year, students at the University of Dundee will have the opportunity to contribute to Before I Die walls, giving them an opportunity to reflect on what is important to them. They'll also have the chance to discuss issues relating to death, dying and bereavement in informal cafe-conversations, using conversation menus as framework to support and encourage conversation.
In recent years, death cafes have become increasingly popular, and this year's awareness week will see the first ever death cafe in Ayr, in Restaurant D'vinity on May 18th, starting at 7pm. Final Fling will also be hosting a death cafe to mark the awareness week, in Glasgow's Gallery of Modern Art on Sat 23 May from 1-3pm.
Talk, Plan, Live
The theme of the Awareness Week is 'Talk, Plan, Live', using the hashtag #YODO, which stands for You Only Die Once.
There are a huge variety of ways you can get involved. From sending a tweet to running a high-profile event. Even just having a chat with family, friends or colleagues about the importance of preparing for death can change perceptions.
Dying Matters have produced postcards, posters and banners, all of which can be ordered from their website.
For more information about Dying Matters Week and how you might participate, check out the Dying Matters website. If you are planning to put on an event in Scotland, do get in touch and we can help to promote it through the Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief networks.
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