News
Awareness week launched
Over 200
organisations have come together to organise the first ever Scottish awareness
week aimed at encouraging people to be more open about death, dying and
bereavement.
Campaign alliance Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief say that avoiding the topic of death can cause problems including people not dying where they want to, families facing legal battles because loved ones haven’t left wills and bereaved people feeling isolated.
In response the group has organised a week of activities across Scotland to spark conversation, from theatre shows to the installation of temporary walls where the public will be asked to write down what they want to do before they die.
Two of Scotland’s best loved TV presenters and broadcasters Cat Harvey and Michelle McManus, became amongst the first to write on Scotland’s Before I Die walls. Real Breakfast Show presenter Cat showed her positive side saying she’d like “to laugh lots and be healthy”. Ever the optimist she also added she’d like to meet Hollywood star, Bradley Cooper and “introduce him to Nutella”. Pop Idol winner and TV presenter Michelle shared many of Cat’s ambitions but her star-struck wish is to meet JK Rowling. Being an obsessed fan of hers, Michelle added she’d like to “not be arrested when I do meet her”.
Director of Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief, Mark Hazelwood, said: “Everyone in Scotland will die but strangely it can be hard to remember that this will inevitably include our self.
“As a result it is easy to overlook some simple practical steps which can make things easier for friends and family when the time comes.
“It’s easier to get this stuff sorted out whilst fit and well, and then get on with living life to the full.
“Important actions include legal stuff like making a will and a power of attorney and personal things like considering what music you might like at your funeral and reflecting on what you really want to have done before you die.”
Events to promote the message that talking about death is a good thing have been organised across the country by members of Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief including charities, NHS boards, individuals and local community organisations.
One of the most unique conversation starters will be the installation of temporary walls covered with the words “Before I die I want to.....” that will be scattered across the country.
Members of the public will be asked to finish the sentence with the one thing they most want to do before they die.
The project has been inspired by an art project started in New Orleans that spread across the USA and across the world.
Other events include death cafes, a film screening, shopping centre displays, workshops, drop-in sessions, and a theatre performance.
Barbara Chalmers, Founder of Final Fling and organiser of Glad to be Alive, a death cafe taking place in Glasgow said: "I expect Glad to be Alive to appeal to ordinary folk who want to share thoughts about a subject that we are told is a taboo. It's not a counselling session. It's not a goth-fest. It's just a friendly place to talk openly - shrug off any notion of taboo. With cake!"
Mark added: “We hope these events will lead to people having conversations about death who perhaps would have felt the topic was off limits before.
“We think the Before I Die walls will be especially popular as they allow people to have a bit of fun and think about what they really want out of life while hopefully also thinking about the more serious issues.”
So, what do you want to do before you die? Share it with Scotland.
Before I Die walls appear across Scotland
‘Be cut in half by a magician in Vegas.’ ‘Swim
naked.’ ‘See
my grandchildren grow up.’ ‘Sing
a duet with Rufus Wainwright.’ What do you want to do before you die?
These are just a few of the responses to the question being asked this week by Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief, to mark Scotland's first ever death awareness week. Across Scotland, people who believe that Scotland should be a place where we can be open about death, dying and bereavement are constructing 'Before I Die' walls.
Before I Die is a global public art project that invites people to reflect on their lives and share their personal aspirations in public space. Begun by artist Candy Chang (after losing someone she loved) and friends on an abandoned house in the New Orleans neighbourhood, the project is about remembering what is important to you.
From urban locations like Glasgow and Edinburgh to more remote locations like Stornoway and Torphins, people across Scotland will have the chance to share their hopes and dreams in public space. Find a Before I Die wall near you here.
Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief have also opened up the public space that is their website to create a virtual Before I Die wall.
All of this is to raise awareness of the need for Scotland to be a place where people can be open about death, dying and bereavement.
Awareness Week approaches...
Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief Awareness Week will take place 13th-15th May. Members across Scotland have been organising awareness week events with fantastic energy and enthusiasm, and usually very little time or money! From interested individuals to established organisations, all over Scotland people have been taking action to promote more openness about death, dying and bereavement.
We expect to see Before I Die walls popping up across the country, and will publish a list on our website next week. Other activities include shopping centre events, workshops, drop-in sessions, a death café, a film screening and a theatre performance. A list of events is available on the Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief website. We would love to be able to list all relevant events on our website, so please get in touch if you're planning something.
Funding Announced
We are pleased to announce that a small grants programme has been set up to support GLGDGG members to undertake activities, events or projects aimed at helping Scotland to become a place where people are more open about death, dying and bereavement.
Specifically, we are looking to fund projects that:
- Help people to find ways of dealing with their own experiences of death, dying and bereavement.
- Help individuals and communities to support those who are experiencing difficult times associated with death, dying and bereavement.
- Support NHS and social care staff and volunteers to work compassionately and constructively with those who are dying or have been recently bereaved.
- Help people to make practical preparations for their death, for example Will, Power of Attorney and Advance Care Planning.
- Promote openness/discussion of death, dying and bereavement.
Member organisations can apply for a maximum grant of £500, and the closing date for applications is Monday 8 April to allow applications to be processed and relevant money distributed in time for Awareness Week. (Applications are also accepted for activities scheduled outside Awareness Week.) We appreciate the timescale is tight and with this in mind the application form is designed to be straightforward to complete.
Awareness Week 2013
Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief Awareness Week will take place 13 - 19 May 2013. With the support and enthusiasm of members, we hope to make one week in May a hive of activity, putting on a range of events and activities to raise awareness of the need for Scotland to become a place where people can be open about death, dying and bereavement.
During Awareness Week, we hope each member will do one thing to raise awareness in their own area. Members are being invited to:
- Help to create a Scotland-wide Before I Die wall.
- Link up with other GLGDGG members locally to put on an event.
- Undertake another event or activity on a relevant area of interest or need.
For more information about GLGDGG Awareness Week 2013, check out the Awareness Week section of our website.
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