Dying Matters Week Review 2015

We kicked off this year’s Dying Matters Week with a ‘Memories’ event at the Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool. We invited people to share their stories of loved ones who have passed whilst sipping tea and eating cake. There were some really touching moments shared and placed on our daffodil wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The main event took place on Thursday 21st May named ‘This Event Won’t Kill You!’ at Quaker Meeting House, where stallholders from a number of specialist fields, such as funeral planning and organ donation, provided information and advice. Alongside informative displays there were interactive pieces, such as our 4ft ‘DEATH’ lettering and popular remembrance tree.

 

 

 

 

To round off the week, our final event, ‘May Day of the Dead’ took place at the stylish Siren Café on St. James Street. This was well attended with a group discussing lost loved ones and the topics of life and death.

 

 

 

We would like to thank our members, partners and hosts, who made these events possible. And don’t forget, Talk, Plan, Live!

Launch of Dying Matters Awareness Week 2015: Talk, Plan, Live

Today is the national launch of Dying Matters Awareness Week 2015. Here in Liverpool we would like to officially introduce our awareness poster campaign and ‘5 Things To Do Before You Die’ booklet, which contains an overview of key actions you should think about taking in preparation for the future.

 

See our posters below:

 

Find out more about the booklet by viewing the ‘5 Things’ tab. Alternatively, you can download the booklet from our ‘Downloads’ page.

 

 

We have an exciting week ahead with events taking place on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday (click HERE to see what’s happening!). All of our events are free of charge, so head on down and Talk, Plan, Live!

This Year's Dying Matters Events in Liverpool

As part of Dying Matters Awareness Week (18-24 May 2015), The Bucket Project is hosting three events: ‘Memories’ at Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool; ‘This Event Won’t Kill You’ at Quaker House; and ‘May Day of the Dead Celebration’ at Siren Café.

 

The theme of Dying Matters Awareness Week 2015 is ‘Talk, Plan, Live’, an action-focused theme emphasising that we only get one chance to have our dying wishes met, which is why it’s vital to talk, plan and make arrangements for the end of life – before it’s too late. The Bucket Project will be launching their brand new ‘5 Things To Do Before You Die’ practical booklet, which covers:  

• Talking to your loved ones about end of life wishes 
• Making it legal and writing a will 
• Planning for your funeral and recording the details 
• Considering organ donation and sharing your decision 
• Thinking about your future care needs

Here are the details of the three events organised by The Bucket Project:

 

‘Memories’ – Marie Curie

Wednesday 20th May from 1-3pm

Marie Curie Hospice, Woolton, L25 8QA

 

 

We invite you to share a photograph and a story of your late loved one with a warm drink and slice of cake. We’re creating a Memory Wall for friends and families of the people cared for by Marie Curie.

 

We often tend to focus on the sadness and loss when someone dies, but it’s also good to take time to remember and celebrate the life they lived and the memories made. Members of staff and volunteers will be in attendance to listen to your stories and share some of their own.

 

‘This Event Won’t Kill You’

Thursday 21st May from 10am-5pm

Quaker House, School Lane, L1 3BT

 

 

Unique to the Northwest: open event with a range of stalls, talks, discussions and displays. Call in between 10am-5pm to find out everything you need to know about end of life and death. See the launch of our special ‘5 Things To Do Before You Die’ practical booklet along with our remembrance tree and altar, interactive DEATH lettering, Before I Die postcards and much more. Be one of the first to take part in this special event, in partnership with: Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool, Age Concern, Sahir House, Jackson Canter Quality Solicitors, Woodlands Hospice, Liverpool CCG, Co-operative Funeralcare, Child Bereavement UK, Philosophy in Pubs, Marie Curie Palliative Care Institute Liverpool, Tower Law, Liverpool CCG and Liverpool Bereavement Service.

 

‘May Day of the Dead Celebration’

Saturday 23rd May from 1-3pm

Siren Café, St James Street, L1 0AB

 

 

Toast departed loved ones and bring along a photograph of them to display on our altar, or send us one in advance and we can print it for you. Join us for free cake, drinks and conversation. A relaxed and casual event based on the Mexican tradition Dios de los Muertos (or Day of the Dead); it is typically celebrated on 1st November but we’re bringing a spring theme and hosting a ‘May Day of the Dead Celebration’. Photographs of departed loved ones will sit in decorated frames alongside colourful skulls and paper flowers. We talk about the lives of those passed and try not to focus on the sadness of our loss. The event ends with a toast, a smile and a sense of keeping their memories alive.

 

“This year, a key theme to our events is remembrance and celebrating the lives of the people we loved. Sometimes, we tend to focus on the sadness of their death and we want people to remember the happier times of their life. Our ‘Memories’ and ‘May Day of the Dead Celebration’ aim to provide a space to come together and share memories of those that have died. The open day ‘This Event Won’t Kill You’ will provide practical advice, interesting talks and creative displays and we have a number of charities, services and businesses hosting information stalls and leading a number of interesting discussions.”

 

- Rachael McKindley, Project Manager of The Bucket Project

 

For further information regarding The Bucket Project, please call Rachael McKindley on 0151 801 1488 or e-mail at: rachael.mckindley@mariecurie.org.uk. Alternatively, you can follow us on Facebook at the following address: www.facebook.com/TheBucketProject.

 

 

End of Year Three!

It has been a while since I last wrote a blog, here at The Bucket Project we have been busy organising events for the Autumn season from introducing our new ‘Death du Jour’ session to planning a fabulous Day of the Dead celebration. The details of these events will be posted here and on social media closer to the time.

 

At long last, we would like to present our End of Year Three Project Report. You can find out exactly what we have been up to over 2013 and 2014, from a Halloween Death Café, to a jam packed Dying Matters Awareness Week in May. The report is now available on the ‘Downloads’ page of the blog and is an interesting read.

 

 

 

If you like what you see and would be interested in becoming a member of The Bucket Project, email amy.king@mariecurie.org.uk. We will keep you regularly updated with the latest planned events and news, so get involved and help keep the topic of death alive!

A Successful Dying Matters Awareness Week!

Dying Matters Awareness Week 2014 was a fantastic success for The Bucket Project, with a number of events held across a wide range of venues. We met some very interesting and insightful people along the way who have been helping us to keep the topic of death alive. In case you didn’t get the chance to visit any of our events, here’s what happened during the week.

 

Monday 12th May

 

There were two launch events, at the Central Library and the Walker Art Gallery debuting our Remembrance Tree and ‘life’ and death’ interactive lettering, respectively. It was fantastic to see so many people contributing to our displays, building a better picture of what life and death means to the community in Liverpool. A number of school groups got involved and enjoyed writing and drawing on the 4ft lettering throughout the week, leaving some valuable interpretations.

 

Life and Death Letting @ The Walker Source: Author

 

Over four hundred people wrote touching messages to their departed loved ones and placed them on our Remembrance Tree. We made the tree out of recycled paper and packaging tape and printed a popular poem called ‘Dust if you must’ by Rose Milligan on the back of the leaves. We are currently discussing how the leaves will be displayed in the future. If you didn’t get a chance to leave your message to a loved one on our tree, don’t worry as we are planning on touring it around a number of popular venues in the near future.

 

Remembrance Tree @ Central Library Source: Author

 

Tuesday 13th May

 

On the second day of Dying Matters, we held a ‘Dead Write’ workshop at Central Library, where we discussed a wide range of topics and assessed how death, dying and loss is incorporated in works of poetry and ways you can approach this subject yourself. We were working in partnership with The Windows Project who facilitated this session. There was a small turnout for this particular event; however the discussion was fantastic, with members reading their own excerpts of poetry to the group and suggesting ideas for future work.

 

The ‘Death in Art’ tour took place at the Walker Art Gallery in the afternoon with many people extremely excited to learn about pieces of art on display that had themes of or were inspired by death. This tour then finished at our interactive lettering display, sparking discussion about life and death and the role that art can play in the formation of our interpretations.

 

Death in Art Tour @ The Walker Source: Author

 

In the evening, we rounded off Day 2 with an exclusive tour of the Science Fiction: New Death exhibition at FACT. This intriguing display dealt with themes of death in the future and was closely linked to the development of technology. This exhibition is open to the public until the 22nd of June 2014.

 

Wednesday 14th May

 

For Day 3, we held another ‘Dead Write’ session at the Central Library. We also met some interesting people at our information stands throughout the different venues, where our promotional pens were a hit, alongside our specially designed day of the dead coffin bookmarks. It was wonderful to see so many people filling in our chalk wall inspired cards, which asked ‘Before I die I want to…’ and 'In my life I want to...', producing some interesting results! From travelling the world, to finding the one, everyone has their own goals and dreams.

 

Thursday 15th May

 

Day 4 of Dying Matters Week and a busy one at that! We held another Death in Art tour followed by our very first Life and Death Café at the Walker, discussing elements of life and death whilst eating nourishing food and drinking delicious tea and coffee. It is always an enlightening experience, discussing such an important topic with like-minded strangers. You never leave without having learned something new about the world and how different people perceive death.

 

People enjoying the Death in Art Tour @ The Walker Source: Author

 

Friday 16th May

 

One of my favourite events was the Vintage Tea Party we arranged to inform people about what is happening in their local Marie Curie Hospice, Liverpool. This event was a huge success with staff, patients, volunteers and visitors enjoying our homemade cakes and free refreshments. People who don’t often come in to contact on a daily basis had a chance to get to know each other and the roles each of them play in the hospice. It was refreshing to hear patients talk about how they appreciated many different services the hospice provides, such as complementary therapy. This conversation gave us an insight in to the still prevalent issue that people do not know what services are available to them until they are in a vulnerable position. We believe that it is an essential part of the project to not only break down the taboo around talking about death, but to inform people in the community of what care and end of life care options are available to them, even if they are not necessary at the present time.

 

Some of our delicious homemade cakes at the Vintage Tea Party @ Marie Curie Hospice,
Woolton Source: Author

 

We continued serving homemade cake throughout the evening at our Life and Death Café at Siren, 54 St James Street, to celebrate Light Night. Not only was the venue beautiful but we met sixteen amazing people, from a diverse range of backgrounds who came together to discuss the topics of life and death. So many subjects were discussed, from archaeology and complementary medicine, to the symbolism of colours and the feelings they provoke inside us.

 

Our fantastic Life and Death Café discussion group @ Siren Source: Author

 

Saturday 17th May

 

It was an early start for the penultimate day of Dying Matters Awareness Week in The Garden at Fact by Leaf. We hosted a ‘Dead Good Cookie Decorating’ session for children and parents. We had some superbly decorated day of the dead- style cookies that tasted just as good as they looked! Have a peek at the pictures below to see some of the weird and wonderful designs!

 

A creatively decorated cookie
Source: Author

Decoration in action! In The Garden @ FACT by LEAF
Source: Author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We then strolled over to the World Museum where two ‘Meet the Mummy’ sessions were taking place. These were unique performances specially opened to the public for this occasion, providing an insight in to the ancient world of Egyptian practices of mummification with the children taking centre stage, playing the roles of embalmer, high priest and Anubis.

 

Sunday 18th May

 

What could be better than a celebration for the final day of an amazingly successful Dying Matters Awareness Week? In partnership with the Treasure House Theatre at the World Museum, we put on a ‘Day of the Dead Drop-In’ where nearly seventy people attended to make masks and put a wish on the Mexican Wishing Tree whilst listening to Dia de los Muertos music.

 

Day of the Dead Drop-In celebration @ The World Museum Source: Author

 

All in all, this week was a fantastic success, with our events reaching roughly 700 people directly and potentially reaching in the region of 380,000 through our very own Rachael McKindley being featured on the BBC Merseyside Drivetime show throughout the week! Taking in to consideration visitor numbers to each venue, we estimate to have reached over 400,000 people with this years Dying Matters theme 'You Only Die Once'. We are extremely grateful to our many partners who made the events possible and thank our members and the public who continually support the project and help keep the topic of death alive.

 

Why not become a member? Email us at amy.king@mariecurie.org.uk and be the first to find out about our upcoming events! You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter.

 

Day 2: Dying Matters Awareness Week 2014

The launch of our Dying Matters Awareness Week events went off with a bang! The Remembrance Tree at Central Library is already blooming with special leaves left in memory of loved ones and the pristine white ‘Life and Death’ lettering at The Walker has had its first splashes of colour. Take a look at the pictures below:

Life and Death Lettering @ The Walker

Remembrance Tree @ Central Library

Don’t forget, these installations are here from the 12th-18th May so you can still write your message on the tree and leave your mark on our community art piece if you haven't already. Let’s take a look what else we have in store for you today!

There is a ‘Dead Write’ workshop from 11-1pm @ Central Library, followed by a ‘Death in Art’ Tour @ The Walker from 1-2pm. We will be rounding off this busy day with an exclusive tour of the Science Fiction: New Death Tour @ FACT between 5 and 6pm.

If you would like any further information, please feel free to contact us at amy.king@mariecurie.org.uk or download your programme of  events from here.

Programme of Events - Dying Matters 2014

The Bucket Project would like to officially present our Dying Matters Awareness Week 2014 programme of events!

Dying Matters Awareness Week 2014 is taking place from the 12th-18th May and this year’s theme is You Only Die Once or #YODO for short. We have prepared a number of exciting, free and fun events in a range of venues across Liverpool so make sure you check out the timetable below to find out dates and times.

 

 Here is an overview of what’s going on in the week:

Walker Art Gallery:
Have you ever wanted to help create a work of art? We want you to show us what symbolises Life and Death for you and to write or draw your interpretation of these words on our Hollywood-style lettering. You can also join us for a Life & Death Café or guided Death in Art tours. Events at the Walker Art Gallery are organised by The Bucket Project in partnership with Cheshire Living Well Dying Well.

 

World Museum:
Are you brave enough to Meet the Mummy and discover the secrets of Ancient Egyptian embalming? How about joining in with a Day of the Dead dance or placing a wish on the wishing tree? We have three Meet the Mummy sessions on 17th May and a Day of the Dead Drop-In on 18th May. Our information stand will be available throughout the week where you will be able to pick up a free Day of the Dead inspired coffin bookmark. All events are family friendly and completely free.

 

Central Library:
Writing is a way of seeing – the ordinary and the extraordinary, from your own street to the landscape of your dreams. Everyone has a voice that is valuable and unique. We are hosting two specially themed writing advice sessions called "Dead Write" in partnership with the Windows Project. You can also take a leaf out of our book and leave a message on our Remembrance Tree or pick up a free Day of the Dead inspired coffin bookmark.

 

FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology):
Join us for a one-off guided tour of the current exhibition – Science Fiction: New Death, which runs until 22nd June 2014. Explore how our relationship with technology has blurred the lines between the real and the virtual with thought-provoking installations from a number of artists. The exhibition is presented as a deconstructed film set, with the curator acting as director and the artists as actors. Our tour takes place on 13th May from 5-6pm. Please book your place to avoid disappointment.

 

The Garden at FACT by LEAF:
Bring the family and join us for a fun morning where we will have specially prepared Ginger-Dead men and Mexican Day of the Dead Sugar Skull cookies ready for you to decorate with colourful icing and tasty toppings. We can even wrap your cookies for you to take as a gift, if you can't resist eating them first! Great food and great conversation, what else are you doing on a Saturday morning?

 

Siren @ 54 St James Street: LIGHT NIGHT
Do something different on a Friday night and celebrate Liverpool's one night art and culture festival; Liverpool Light Night where many venues across the city stay open late. We’re hosting a Life & Death Café, which comes under the Words & Debate section of the Light Night programme. The aim of this special cafe is to break down the barriers to discussing death, dying and loss in a comfortable, relaxing environment whilst eating sustaining and nourishing food in the company of like-minded people.

 

Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool:
Join The Bucket Project for a Vintage Tea Party at the Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool and find out more about our range of services whilst enjoying delicious sandwiches, tea and cake. It will be held in the gorgeous vintage setting of our beautiful conservatory, where the atmosphere will be comfortable and relaxing, with the added bonus of good food and excellent conversation. We hope you can join us for an inspiring afternoon.

 

You can download the full programme from the downloads page, alongside all of our promotional event posters.

 

For more information feel free to contact us at amy.king@mariecurie.org.uk

Dying Matters Awareness Week 2014

Image from dyingmatters.org

 

Dying Matters Awareness Week is fast approaching, taking place from the 12th – 18th May. We are hosting a number of exciting events throughout the week, in partnership with the World Museum, Walker Art Gallery, Central Library, FACT and Siren to name a few. We will be releasing the details shortly but make sure you follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook to get the latest updates!

There are a number of family events taking place on the weekend of the 17th and 18th of May from Meet the Mummy! at the World Museum to cookie decorating at The Garden in LEAF @ FACT. All of our events are free and promise to be engaging and a lot of fun.

 

Image from sweetsugarbelle.com

 

Check back here soon for the dates and times of our events! If you would like to get involved or want to know more about The Bucket Project or Dying Matters, please contact us at amy.king@mariecurie.org.uk.

Are you doing anything for Dying Matters Awareness Week? Let us know here #YODO

Schools Carousel a Roaring Success

Last week we visited a primary school on a ‘schools carousel’ to talk to children about our jobs and to give them a chance to ask us any questions they may have. We were accompanied by a number of different representatives of businesses and public services, all interested in helping children find out information about their careers.

However, we were initially concerned about talking to children about death and dying and wanted to do so in an appropriate way. The response from the children was remarkable; they were open about the subject and actively engaged in a ‘name the animal skeleton’ quiz which they of course, found fascinating. They were extremely excited to write on our ‘bucket list’ postcards with chalk and discussed not only career aspirations but things that they would like to do in their lives, from deep sea diving to swimming with sharks!

 

Bucket List Postcard

 

Whilst many of the questions they asked regarded salary or length of working hours, there were a few fantastic questions such as ‘do you find your job emotional?’, which demonstrated that children are far more aware of issues surrounding death than adults often give them credit for.

As adults, we are reluctant to talk to children about the subject of death and dying, in an attempt to ‘protect’ them. However, this venture proved that children are resilient and do not approach these topics with the same taboo attitude that is ingrained in to adults in Western society. Of course it is always important when talking to children about death to adhere to appropriate conversation, but it should not be avoided and brushed under the carpet.  Through talking openly about death at a younger age it will ultimately make it more normal and lead to better awareness of end of life care options for people with terminal illnesses.

 

Death in Disney Films
Image from clubecandoca.com

 

Death can be a scary subject, but it happens to us all. Every day children see death and dying in Disney films, cartoons and video games, so we shouldn’t be afraid to talk about it with them. For an interactive and light way to introduce the topic, why not head down to one of our events at the World Museum during Dying Matters Awareness Week, from the 12th – 18th May. There will be ‘Meet the Mummy’ sessions for both adults and children on Saturday the 17th at 1pm, 2pm and 3pm and a ‘Day of the Dead Drop In’ from 1-4pm on Sunday the 18th. It was inspiring to see one little girl in particular, frantically writing down the dates of these events; she will no doubt be asking her parents to take her there! And we hope to see you there too!

 

For more information on events we are hosting in Dying Matters Awareness Week, contact us at amy.king@mariecurie.org.uk or find us on Facebook and Twitter.

A Successful Second Death Cafe

As you may be aware, our second ever Death Café took place yesterday at the No. 8 Main Street Coffee café in Woolton. It was a great success and involved extremely interesting conversation, good company and wonderful refreshments.

 

A wonderful selection of refreshments at the Death Café

 

This was the first Death Café I had ever attended and I am pleased to announce that it involved truly thought-provoking conversation. The name may be off-putting to many people, but if you look past the vocabulary you may find it can be a freeing and fascinating experience. Topics discussed ranged from eating animals to what happens after we are gone, producing some very interesting and unusual ideas.

One thought that struck me throughout was that these conversations, some remarkably philosophical in nature, remind me of the type of exchanges had after an evening of inebriation (which we do not condone) and that it’s upsetting that we have to lower our inhibitions before we can discuss such important topics. In my opinion it was refreshing to talk about ideas with other like-minded people and some of their comments completely changed the way I think about things. One moment in particular was that of a small reading shared by one of the attendees from the Muriel Spark book ‘Memento Mori’, the end of the excerpt read:

 

‘[Death] should be part of the full expectancy of life.  Without an ever-present sense of death life is insipid. You might as well live on the whites of eggs’

I found the last sentence particularly profound, but I shall leave you to decide what your own thoughts are on this extract.

 

Listening to an impromptu excerpt reading

 

I would definitely recommend people try out a Death Café in your area, even if you are apprehensive at first, there is no pressure for you to speak and you are welcome to leave at any time. You might just be pleasantly surprised.

 

 

Some members mid-discussion

If you have suggestions for a future Death Café or would like to be involved in future events, do not hesitate to contact us at amy.king@mariecurie.org.uk or chat with us via Facebook and Twitter.

"Parting is such tweet sorrow..."

During Dying Matters week in May, Dying Matters asked what your final Tweet would be if you could write it now. We've blogged about what happens to your Twitter acount when you die, but if you could predict your very last Tweet before you die what would it be?

They got back a real mish mash of funny, heartfelt and pop culture responses. A lot of people felt they couldn't top the late Spike Milligan's epitaph of "I told you I was ill". Some of our favourites were:

"Parting is such tweet sorrow"
"You all know I have a small fortune hidden away but you don't know where. Well, I'll tell you. It's in..."
"The coffee pot is cold, the jokes have all been told. Goodbye to all the souls who sailed with me the longer way" (Billy Bragg's 'Goodbye, Goodbye')"

They even had responses from celebrities and MPs such as Stephen Fry and Alistair Campbell.

Search the hashtag #FinalTweets on Twitter to see what other people said.

Even though Dying Matters week is over, our work continues all year round - so we'd like to extend the question: what would your final Tweet be? Let us know over at @Bucket_Project!