Debbie Young

Good Death, Good Grief – funded by the National Lottery

Cheque Deb Alberta

Good Death, Good Grief – funded by the National Lottery We are so pleased to have been awarded a grant from the National Lottery Community Fund for our new project Good Death, Good Grief. Our Good Death, Good Grief project aims to create more opportunities for open conversations about death, dying and grief in Waltham […]

Engaging with the local community about end of life care services

Debbie with Hands on wall

Engaging with the local community about end of life care services My work is all about creating opportunities and spaces for people to talk openly about death, dying and grief. I was therefore very excited when I was recently commissioned, by an NHS End of Life Care Transformation Programme, to interview local people about their […]

Five things to do for Dying Matters Awareness Week

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Five things to do for Dying Matters Awareness Week It’s Dying Matters Awareness Week all this week (2nd to 6th May). In some ways, it’s always Dying Matters Awareness week for me. It’s what my work is all about; creating opportunities and spaces for people to talk openly about dying and grief and plan for […]

No two Death Cafes are ever the same

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No two Death Cafes are ever the same I love how every Death Cafe is so different and our North East London Death Cafe on Saturday 4th April 2022 was no exception. I heard thoughts and experiences that I had never heard before. In my group, people shared how the Death Cafe had provided a […]

A cassette load of memories

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A cassette load of memories Rituals and memories are common themes at our North East London Death Cafes. At our last Death Cafe, during a discussion about funerals, we talked about whether people film or take photos at funerals and if this is appropriate. We definitely don’t record funerals in the same way that we […]

January has been all about collaborating

Debbie Alberta

January has been all about collaborating January, for me, has been all about collaborating. I’ve been reaching out more on social media, meeting new people, sharing ideas and chatting about possible new projects. As we move into a new month, I’ve been reflecting on why I am enjoying collaborating so much. The focus of my […]

Making Friends with Death

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Making Friends with Death I recently listened to this fascinating BBC radio programme that explores whether talking more about death can help make us happier. From our experience of hosting Death Cafes, we’ve clearly observed how talking about death helps people feel more connected to life and when people have end of life plans in […]

Why attend a Death Cafe

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Why attend a Death Cafe It’s amazing how a group of strangers can talk so openly about death. But that is exactly what happened on 6th November 2021 when we hosted our second Death Cafe at East of Eden Cafe in Walthamstow. People often ask us about who attends a Death Cafe and the answer […]

UCLH GP Training Programme Death Cafe

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UCLH GP Training Programme Death Cafe “Brilliant session – all doctors should attend one!” This week we hosted a Death Cafe for a group of doctors who are completing the UCLH GP training programme. We were incredibly excited about this opportunity. Given the last 18 months of the pandemic it felt important to provide a […]

Talking with a group of strangers about death

North East London

Talking with a group of strangers about death We’ve been waiting a long time to be able to hold an in-person Death Cafe. That day finally arrived on Saturday 26th September 2021, when we hosted our first North East London Death Cafe at the very tranquil East of Eden in Walthamstow. It was lovely seeing […]