#DyingMatters

[incurableoptimistest1994]

Hello 👋! It’s officially Dying Matters Week, the week during which we encourage talking all about death 💀 and dying. Talking about death shouldn’t be something sad or scary; it should be like talking about roast dinners (apparently that’s the level of casual with which myself and my family talk about death!)! Admittedly, as a palliative care patient since age ten, I do have a head start when it comes to normalising conversation around death and dying; but I’m not gonna stop til I’ve dragged you all with me to this point of enlightenment! Today’s theme is funeral costs, something I genuinely often worry about; both in relation to myself, but also my parents and particularly my elderly family members. If you do one thing today, think honestly about how your funeral would be paid for, and what type of funeral you want... and write down the answers to this questions! #dyingmattersweek2019 #dyingmatters #letstalkaboutdeathbaby #funeralcosts (at Cardiff) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxayHI-h9kQ/?igshid=3572yrt95e4i

[celebrantspain]

Celebrating Life. One woman's insightful and honest account of her experience of growing through grief from @riteofpassagefunerals A tale of love and loss and finding new light. . As a funeral celebrant in Spain, feel free to contact me any time about the practicalities of death and dying in Spain, preparing for your end of life, Celebration of Life ceremonies and memorials. . www.celebrantspain.es/funerals . . . #celebrantspain #celebrantcollective #thecelebrantdirectory #humanist #humanistcelebrant #humanistminister #humanistceremony #funeralsinspain #funeralcelebrant #funeralminister #funeralceremonyinspain #funeralceremonyspain #funeralcelebrantspain #humanistfuneral #humanistfuneralspain #humanistceremony #humanistceremonyspain #celebrationoflife #celebrationoflifeceremony #dyingmatters #areweready (at La Herradura, Andalucia, Spain) https://www.instagram.com/p/BvQznocFgY5/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1p20ht0xfm0bo

[thedeathshow-blog]

The Coffin’s on Tour Again!

We’re delighted to confirm that following the success of last year's tour of The Death Show the coffin will be back on the road again in 2019! 

We'd love for you to join us for our funny, surreal, reflective and unashamedly honest show about death, which will take you on a journey of discovery, contemplation and courage. Celebrate your own mortality, laugh, cry, stick two fingers up at the grim reaper and discover why talking about death is actually life-affirming.

We’re heading to:

Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton - Saturday 16 February 2019

The Witham, Barnard's Castle - Wednesday 27 February 2019

The Electric Theatre, Guildford - Thursday 28 February 2019

Jacksons Lane, London - Saturday 02 March 2019

Brighton Fringe, The Warren - Friday 10 - Sunday 12 May 2019 (On Sale Soon)

Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury - Friday 17 May 2019

Attenborough Arts Centre, Leicester - Friday 07 June 2019 (On Sale Soon)

Derby Theatre - Saturday 06 July 2019 (On Sale Soon)

The Lichfield Festival, St Mary's Church - Tuesday 09 July 2019 (On Sale Soon)

Lighthouse Poole - Friday 12 July 2019

And there’s a few more dates to follow too...

Our audiences and reviewers had some great things to say about the show last year. So don’t just take our word for it, take a look at some of their comments below and then get booking!

”The  Death Show  takes  an important  subject  – how  we  face the  end  of life  and  how we  face  life itself  –  and shakes  it  up... And despite  the fact  it  may  at  first seem  like  a depressing  subject,  The Death  Show  is both  fun  and life-affirming." Weekend  Notes

"Truly  brilliant show.  Witty,  sad and  totally  relatable. Never  seen  anything like  it" Audience  member

"Nicholls  and Beck  took  the challenge  of  turning their  own  self-reflection  into something  to  share –  resulting  in comedy,  self-deprecation,  biological facts,  and  a Breakfast  Club  fist pump  in  the face  of  fear...delivered  through a  beautifully  balanced story  of  hope, humour  and  fear"  Birmingham  Review

"Incredibly  funny, sad,  thought  provoking and  life  affirming" Audience member

[thanatophobia-thoughts]

This link contains access to a colorful PDF Brochure that is a “funeral wishes form”. It’s a simple thing to add on to the discussion of funeral preparations, and something to look over, as well as a FAQ for why it is important to begin to plan your funeral.

I’ve talked a lot about these things, so here is another person’s way of doing it, as well as a sample form to help get you thinking about things, as well! I like that the form includes questions about how the funeral is to be funded as well as memorial questions!

It isn’t complete -- plenty of options are left off the brochure/form. However, it may give you ideas and start sparking the conversation and planning for yourself. 

[sussexwillowcoffins]

FFMA Certified & Approved Cremation Coffins For UK Crematorium

We are very proud to bring you news that our wicker coffins are Certified & Approved for Cremation in the UK thanks to @FFMA_funeral Read our blog post to find out more... #cremation #coffins #wickercoffins @huunuudotcom @cremsoc @GreatFunerals @ndccharity

We believe that the quality of our coffin products, is one of our unique selling points. Our high standards are maintained through attention to detail and continual improvement. This has recently been validated, with our coffins receiving the crematorium seal of approval and gaining FFMA Certification. Making our coffins approved for cremation in the UK.

Read on to find out about the…

[ipaulmadden]

September 8, 2022, will go down in history as the day that Britain's longest-reigning monarch died. On March 17 2017, the Guardian posted an article by Sam Knight entitled, "'London Bridge is down': the secret plan for the days after the Queen's death." At the time, it grabbed huge attention as it seemed odd that there was an intricate plan for when the Queen died. It was like the plot of a movie - with huge amounts of detail on the various steps that would need to happen and specific roles certain people would have to play on the death of the monarch. Watching the live coverage yesterday, I was not surprised by the outpowering of love, sadness and grief for this incredible woman's passing; it felt like she was the nation's grandmother. However, as someone who works in palliative care, I wasn't surprised to hear members of the public saying things like they "thought she was going to live forever" or "I can't believe she's gone." These phrases are very common when someone dies. It confirms for me that we all don't talk about death enough. We know logically, in the cold light of day, that we don't live forever, but we don't live and breathe the reality of it in a way that makes us plan for our own inevitable exit; talk to our loved ones, plan for what we want and more importantly, what we don't want. For those in the field of palliative care, we know how important it is for patients and those important them that, just like the Queen/Country/Government, there is a plan (Advanced Care Planning). We know it takes a lot of stress and distress from an already emotionally charged situation. We also know that situations, where there isn't a plan or lack of communication can lead to unfulfilled patients' wishes and family members with many regrets. The Queen's last public engagement was on July 15, when she officially opened a new hospice. I hope the Queen's passing gets people talking about death, their own death, and dying positively and take inspiration from the article that outlined (over 6 years ago) what should happen in the event of the Queen's death and plan for what we know will eventually happen and to speak with the people in our lives and find out what they want or would like. (Link to the article mentioned: https://lnkd.in/eg5icgyt ) #queen #DyingMatters #grief #hospice #HospiceLife #HospiceCare #QueenRIP #LondonBridgeIsDown #AdvanceCarePlan #LetsTalkAboutDeath #griefsupport #griefandloss #griefawareness #Dying #deathanddying #deathpositive #palliativecare #palliative

[almondemotion]

This is Dying Matters Week.

You might wonder why doctors are sometimes poor at determining the point at which treatment is futile. #DyingMatters #HospiceUK @hospiceuk

At a meeting last Tuesday, I agreed to write a blog about dying. I suspect most of you would not volunteer to write about death. It isn’t necessarily on the tip of the tongue. And yet, for me, it is there. In the past two years I have encountered more death than at any time in my career. Caring for older people during a pandemic that particularly affects that group is a clear consequence. It…

[elisejanettephotography]

My niece Lucy ♥️ died from an asthma attack in 2011. She was only 19. #iremember she was like the daughter I was never able to have. I miss her every day and what I realised all to late that we had so few photos together. So now when someone asks to take a photo with me I jump in right on it there even if I look a mess 💕 @dyingmatters https://www.instagram.com/p/CWoZbd2hJBR/?utm_medium=tumblr

[paintingsinhospitals]

“Art in palliative care can ensure that the end of our life is filled with colour, vibrancy and meaning.” | No.50 in our countdown highlights how art can help relieve the physical and emotional pain of death. (Link in bio) • • • • • #dyingmatters #death #sketch #painting #draw #creative #color #artistic #hospital #nurse #doctor #nurselife #nursesofinstagram #arthealthwellbeing #creativehealth — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/2k3YNIp

[incurableoptimistest1994]

Good morning! Happy to be here 😁☀️🌻💛 Had a good night’s sleep and a much better morning than yesterday, despite a seizure. Also, I wore yellow again without even realising! Supporting the amazing organisation that is @dyingmatters during dying matters week (and every other week) trying to get y’all talking about death and dying. I hope you have a good day 😁! #goodmorning #happytobehere #palliativecarewarrior #dyingmattersweek #letstalkaboutdeathbaby https://www.instagram.com/p/CAHgiVOD6Bd/?igshid=10infdqkb7n5q

[celebrantspain]

Celebrating the Craft of Creative Writing! 

 Creative writing needs something that lights your fire, sparks your ignition and every other metaphor that means you find a starting point and suddenly the words come gushing out... stimulates your creative juices as it were. 

When writing a ceremony script, whether it is for a Wedding or Funeral Celebration of Life, the client is always my muse. I write for my couple or the person who has passed. I am a genuine, natural-born wordsmith.... from pages and pages of outpourings of youthful emotion in my diary as a child to countless press releases in national newspapers during my career. 

There is a book in everyone

When I moved to inland rural Spain nearly nine years ago I wrote a personal account of the challenges and personal successes of restoring a ruin by hand using traditional methods, immersed in a largely off-grid small Andalucian community where water came from your own well, there was no glass in the windows although temperatures ranged from minus 8° and snow in winter to 6 months without rain and over 40° shade in summer. Internet did not exist and mobile coverage was random. One day, I'll write the book, I know I will. 

So nowadays I write ceremony scripts. I often use inspirational quotes as a basis to craft the wording, emotion and vision around the client, my muse. 

Oh yes, and I blog too! I am passionate about promoting southern Spain as a Destination Wedding location. Lost for words? Me? Never! www.celebrantspain.es/blog.htm 

Celebrant Spain was in Andalusia https://www.instagram.com/p/BudUTZXhQ2r/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=6zpsb4k1embl

[thedeathshow-blog]

Antonia and Lucy Talking Positively about The Death Show

Ahead of Dying Matters Awareness Week which runs from Monday 13 - Sunday 19 May 2019, Antonia and Lucy had a lovely chat with Fiona and Amy at the Positive People Podcast about how talking about death can be positive and life affirming.

We'd highly recommend grabbing a cuppa and listening to the podcast as Lucy and Antonia chat with Fiona about how they bonded immediately during their first meeting at mac over their death anxiety, their thoughts on the death of the ego and what really goes into making a performance about your biggest fears.

Oh and you'll also uncover Lucy’s dream of being remembered for excellent bin maintenance!?! 😂

Check out the Podcast by Clicking Here

Catch us next @ Brighton Fringe Fri 10 - Sun 12 May and @ Theatre Severn Fri 17 May 2019.

A massive thank you to Fiona Thomas and Amy Holland at Positive People Podcast for the opportunity to express ourselves and share positive vibes and laughter when talking about death.

The Positive People Podcast is a space to explore the notion that overcoming the difficult days can actually have a positive impact on your wellbeing. Hold your positive vibes and take time to acknowledge the bad days too. It might just feel good!

[sussexwillowcoffins]

What is the Process of Cremation? 5 Vital Things to Know

What is the Process of Cremation? Important Things to Know #BigConversation #Cremation #DyingMatters #Funerals #FuneralPlanning

There are a lot of uncertainties in life, but the process of cremation does not have to be one of them. Making arrangements after the loss of a loved one is an important process and we will help you through each step.

We at Sussex Willow Coffins believe in finding the best options for these final important decisions. Cremation gives you a smart, efficient, cost effective and clean way to have a…

[kimbotheatrecompany-blog]

The discussion

Why is it we struggle to talk about something that is so natural?  Yes, Left Luggage, our new show, does touch on the topic of death and bereavement but more importantly in looks at how experiencing the loss of a loved one can really make you live!  So how do we talking about a “depressing” topic in order to alter the way we view it.  Why are there so may euphemisms for death?

“Losing” someone is the most interesting one for me.  Especially strange for those people with strong faith to use this phrase.  If you have faith then surely you know where they are/have gone so they are in no way lost!  If you believe that they stay with you in memory then they aren’t lost either. Lost in body but not in mind?