Awareness Week
2–6 May 2022 – Venues across Reading Dying Matters Awareness Week is our chance to get our community talking about dying and grief. We want everyone to be #InAGoodPlace when they die – whatever that means for them. Right now, we know that people are dying without the support they need. And we know that it’s by talking, and by sharing stories, that we can remove the taboo and stigma that surround these topics. We can also better understand what’s happening in our communities so that political and healthcare leaders know what is needed to make end of life care accessible to everyone. Dying Matters Awareness Week is our chance to get talking, to share stories, and to call for end of life care for all. Join the Dying Matters movement today.
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Dying Matters Awareness Week Programme of Events
Victorian Perambulations! Sunday 1 May, 1.30 – 4pm Reading Old Cemetery, 259 London Road RG1 4LS Organised by Econet Friends of Reading Old Cemetery and in collaboration with University of Reading Wear your best Victorian attire and marvel at the natural beauty and wildlife wonders of this garden cemetery. Encounter the eccentric Victorian botanist, the hard-working pauper from the local workhouse, a founding member of the local co-operative movement, the courageous suffragist and the brave WW1 correspondent. Meet the dedicated conservation group who tirelessly work to preserve the site. At 3.30pm join the greatly-anticipated Victorian outfit competition by the arch: Prize for the best costume! #ROCUP • NO parking but the site is easily accessible by the local omnibus service • NO toilets on site • YES to marvel at the natural beauty Free family fun day Part of National Cemeteries week
Sue Ryder’s #InAGoodPlace Walk Wednesday 4 May, 9.30am Main car park, Prospect Park, Liebenrood Road RG30 2ND Many of us find it hard to know what to say and what to do to help someone who is grieving. At Sue Ryder, we want to give more people the confidence to be there for others. With this in mind, the Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice in Reading have partnered up with Walk Works to create the #InAGoodPlace walk. The walk provides the local community with a chance to come together, get some fresh air, meet new people and talk. The walk is taking place on Wednesday 4 May at 9.30am and will start and finish in the main car park at Prospect Park. Please bring your own refreshments and suitable clothing. Join us, and let’s meet grief with warmth and acceptance rather than fear. Together, we can create a society where tough things get talked
Compass Recovery College Grieving Losses Workshops Wednesday 4–18 May, Online 4 – 5.15pm Experiencing loss is part of life whether you have lost a loved one, the end of long life relationships, the loss of a job or the loss of an important friendship; learning to accept the new situation and living a fulfilled life after loss might seem nearly impossible. In these workshops we will consider how we all grieve in different ways and how we can support ourselves through the process and, with time, find meaning to our losses. 3 weekly sessions: 4 May, 11 May, 18 May Enrol with us, free to join 0118 937 3945 compass.opportunities@reading.gov.uk
Tea, cakes and advice Thursday 5 May, from 1pm Goodall-Smith Wealth Management 2a High Street, Twyford RG10 9AE We will start with talks at 1pm where you will get the top three tips for dying followed by the offer of a 10 minute appointment with one of our experts. We have Amy Goodall-Smith from Goodall-Smith Wealth Management Ltd who can help with inheritance tax planning, paying for care and helping to get your affairs in order to pass as tax efficiently to your dependents as possible. 0118 466 5005 goodallsmith@sjpp.co.uk goodallsmith.co.uk Ruth Bailey from Dexter Montague Solicitors who can help with your will alongside planning for care, treatment and end of life wishes. 0118 939 3999 Ruth.Bailey@dextermontague.co.uk dextermontague.co.uk Sally Roberts from Miles & Daughters Funeral Directors, our dedicated and experienced team are committed to create and tailor funerals that reflect the unique life of your loved one. We are here for all your bereavement needs, advice, support and funeral plan information. 0118 979 3004 milesfunerals.com Please book an appointment to ensure availability by contacting goodallsmith@sjpp.co.uk
@DyingMatters #InAGoodPlace #DMAW22
Dying Matters Awareness Week Information & Advice Pop-up Event Friday 6 May, 11am – 4pm Broad Street Come and visit a range of stalls related to the topics of death, dying, bereavement and loss on Broad Street throughout the day. This pop-up event brings together a number of organisations that can help you and your loved ones to explore what ‘a good place’ might look like. There will be representatives from Sue Ryder, Healthwatch Reading, Blandy and Blandy Solicitors, Reading Borough Council’s Health and Wellbeing Team and the Hospital Palliative Care Team at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.
Reading Crematorium Open Morning Saturday 7 May, 10am – 1pm 55 All Hallows Road, Caversham RG4 5LP Join us at Reading Crematorium for an Open Morning as part of Dying Matters Awareness Week. Ask the questions you’ve always wanted to ask, wander through our gardens, and take a guided tour of the Crematorium. Free admission Tours 10am, 11am and 12 noon Talk and tours last approximately 45 minutes. Booking for the event essential via our website: reading.gov.uk or https://rb.gy/xlzprj
For further information on Dying Matters Awareness Week visit: hospiceuk.org/our-campaigns/dying-matters For more information regarding local events and activities as part of Dying Matters Week email: events@reading.gov.uk or contact 0118 937 2771
Support and advice Ataloss helps people who have been bereaved. Includes a search tool for local support, GriefChat service, GrabLife activity support weekends, bereavement support for men, and support for young people. ataloss.org Child Bereavement UK provides information and support (including a helpline) when a baby or child of any age dies or is dying, and when a child is facing bereavement. childbereavementuk.org Compassionate Employers is Hospice UK’s workplace support programme, helping organisations and their employees to build an open, compassionate culture to support staff through grief, caring responsibilities, or a life-limiting illness. hospiceuk.org/ compassionate-employers Cruse Bereavement Care is a national charity, which provides support, advice and information to children, young people and adults when someone dies. cruse.org.uk The Good Grief Festival is a brilliant community of people talking about grief in a refreshing and honest way, with virtual talks, workshops and webinars held at online festivals through the year. goodgrieffest.com Hospice UK’s planning ahead tool, developed with palliative care expert Kathryn Mannix and others, leads you, step by step, to think about your own values and the things that matter most to you in life and in dying. It will explain some of the treatment decisions that may lie ahead and ask you to think about whether the length of your life, or the quality of the way you live, matters more to you. hospiceuk.org/latest-from-hospice-uk/newplanning-ahead-tool-launched Hospice UK’s guide to end of life care provides clear and concise guidance about what to expect, what to ask and where you can get support when you or a loved one are facing the end of life. hospiceuk.org/information-and-support/your-guide-hospiceand-end-life-care The Marie Curie Support Line provides practical and emotional support for anyone who’s been bereaved, whether it happened recently or some time ago. You can also get ongoing support from a bereavement volunteer. Support Line: 0800 090 2309 Online information and support: mariecurie.org.uk/support Booklets and resources, including easy read versions: mariecurie.org.uk/publications Sands is the leading stillbirth and neonatal death charity in the UK. Sands exists to reduce the number of babies dying and to ensure that anyone affected by the death of a baby receives the best possible care and support for as long as they need it. sands.org.uk Sue Ryder supports people who are living with a terminal illness, a neurological condition or who have lost someone. sueryder.org WAY (Widowed & Young) Foundation is the only national charity in the UK for men and women aged 50 or under when their partner died. It’s a peer-to-peer support group run by a network of volunteers who have been bereaved at a young age. It runs activities and support groups for people coping with grief. widowedandyoung.org.uk Winston’s Wish is a child bereavement charity which offers specialist practical support and guidance to bereaved children, their families and professionals. winstonswish.org.uk