News
The Library of Legends
The Library of Legends is a public art installation that will appear in the centre of Edinburgh from 1-7 November 2023, as part of the To Absent Friends festival.
The Library of Legends is a place where people can go to remember and share stories of people they have lost. It welcomes anyone who wants to share a story or make art about someone who has died.
Visitors are also welcome just to relax, reflect and explore contributions made by previous visitors. On hand to help people find their creativity and share their stories will be artists John Martin Fulton and Russell McGovern. Even if you have no experience or confidence in art they’ll help you find a way to tell the story of your lost loved one if you want to.
drop in
Passersby are welcome to come into the the library, whether to browse the shelves, or to contribute their own story or art work. The Library will be open 10am-4:30pm, 1-7 November. The mystery location of the library will be revealed soon.
pre-book a group visit
1-7 November we’ll be running morning art workshops at the Library for community groups who’d like to contribute their stories and artwork. Email: jmfultonart@gmail to book your group visit.
not in edinburgh? we’ll come to you.
To discuss the artists coming to your venue for a workshop in October, email: jmfultonart@gmail
send us your stories
We want to fill the library with stories and memories and reminicences of all kinds. Send us your stories, poems, pictures, paintings - anything that you’d like to share - and we’ll fill the Library with your Legends. Email: jmfultonart@gmail or post to: Samara Leibner, SPPC, CBC House, 24 Canning Street, Edinburgh, EH3 8EG. We need to receive contributions by 23 October 2023. We welcome contributions from individuals or groups.
Find out more here: Library of Legends
Truacanta Evaluation Report
The Truacanta Evaluation Report has been published. The report presents the findings at the end of the project evaluation, and reflects on the impact achieved and learning gained from the project, which ran from 2019-2023.
You can read the full report here: Truacanta Evaluation Report
The Truacanta Project was set up to support local communities in Scotland who were interested in taking community action to improve people’s experiences of death, dying, loss and care, using a community development approach. The project was funded by Macmillan Cancer Support and run by the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care.
Groups in Ayrshire, Dundee, Highland, North Berwick and Perthshire were supported through Truacanta to build their own local compassionate community activity. The Evaluation Report shows that
- four out of five of the local projects had clear positive impact at a local level, despite the challenges of establishing a new project during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- progress had been made in all the intended outcome areas set out at the start of the project
- projects have left valuable legacies within their communities
- much local work will be sustained beyond the life of the Truacanta Project
You can find out more about the project here: Truacanta
Scottish Bereavement Summit
The report of the Scottish Bereavement Summit has been published today. The report draws attention to the difficulties faced by people who are grieving in Scotland, and sets out recommendations of how to address some of the key issues.
Access the full report here: Scottish Bereavement Summit Final Report
A summary version of the report is available here: Scottish Bereavement Summit Summary Report
Who supported the summit?
The Scottish Bereavement Summit took place on 13 October 2022. It was supported by a collaboration of organisations working to improve bereavement support in Scotland, including: Richmond’s Hope; Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief; Held in our Hearts; Accord Hospice; The Haven; Kilbryde Hospice; Independent Age; Macmillan Cancer Support; Brightest Start; Bereavement Charter Group; Cruse Scotland; Team Jak; ARC; Fife Young Carers; Funeral Link; Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care; St Vincent’s Hospice; Sands; St Andrew’s Hospice; Marie Curie; MND Scotland; Ardgowan Hospice; Childhood Bereavement Network; Child Bereavement UK; Faith in Older People; Baby Loss Retreat; Sue Ryder; Scottish Care; IANPC; Whyte Family Trust; The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice; Hospice UK; Alternatives Counselling & Listening Rooms; Sunrise Partnership; St Margaret of Scotland Hospice.
What happened at the Summit?
The Bereavement Summit brought together 136 people who work within the bereavement sector in Scotland. The gathering gave attendees the opportunity to explore how to work together to improve experiences of bereavement in Scotland, focusing on three specific areas:
- Formal bereavement services: how can formal bereavement support services (which provide for example counselling and access to peer support groups) be strengthened and improved?
- Informal bereavement support: what can be done to support communities of all kinds (including workplaces, schools, families and neighbourhoods) to provide better informal support to people who have been bereaved.
- Health and social care staff who experience multiple bereavements: how can staff get the support they need at work.
Recommendations
The Report suggests the following 10 recommendations:
- Improve signposting to available support.
- Increase public awareness, confidence, comfort and skills relating to bereavement issues.
- Ensure strategic direction, accountability and responsibility for improving bereavement support.
- Enable schools and educational institutions to be more supportive of people who are bereaved.
- Address equity/equality issues and improve access to services for people with a range of needs.
- Encourage and support workplaces to be better at supporting bereaved staff.
- Support opportunities for professionals to network, learn and share good practice.
- Improve Bereavement Support for Health and Social Care staff.
- Improve how bereavement services, projects and initiatives are funded.
- Ensure future action is informed by evidence, information and builds on existing work.
Access the full report here: Scottish Bereavement Summit Final Report
A summary version of the report is available here: Scottish Bereavement Summit Summary Report
More information about the Bereavement Summit, including a film of the presentations, is available here: Bereavement Summit outputs.
essence of a memory photograph competition
The Essence of a Memory photography competition invites participants to submit a photo and write up to fifty words which together evoke a story or memory of someone important in their life who has died.
Winning entries will form part of a new exhibition to mark the 10th anniversary of the To Absent Friends Festival. The new exhibition will be launched at an evening reception in the Scottish Storytelling Centre on 1 November.
The winner of the adult category will receive £500, and the winner of the children's category will receive £50. The competition is open to people residing in Scotland.
Find out more about the competition and how to enter here: Essence of a Memory Competition
To Absent Friends 10th Anniversary Artwork - applications sought
We are looking to commission an artist to envision and create an interactive art installation to mark the 10th Anniversary of the To Absent Friends festival. Applications should be submitted by Monday 7 August 2023. More information is available here: To Absent Friends 10th Anniversary Art Installation.
About the To Absent Friends Festival
To Absent Friends, a people’s festival of storytelling and remembrance, takes place across Scotland from 1-7 November each year. The festival aims to create opportunities for people to gather together to celebrate and remember dead loved ones.
More information about the festival is available here: www.toabsentfriends.org.uk
Project Brief
The 10th To Absent Friends Festival will take place 1-7 November 2023.
We want to mark this occasion by creating a new, interactive artwork that engages members of the public in remembering and celebrating people in their lives who have died.
We are therefore looking to commission an artist or collective to envision and create a piece of art:
- in an outdoor public space in Scotland during 1-7 November 2023.
- that makes passersby curious and comfortable to engage.
- that encourages the public to contribute to or interact with it in some way.
- that encourages the public to remember or tell stories or reminisce about people in their lives who have died and who remain important to them. (Please note, the focus should be on remembrance and storytelling, rather than on grief and loss.)
- that is sensitive to the diversity of the Scottish population and the variety of experiences of loss that are present in Scotland.
- that is visually striking and provides a talking point for press releases about the TAF festival.
- that has no negative environmental impact.
More details about the project brief are available on the SPPC website here: To Absent Friends 10th Anniversary Art Commission
RSS