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Ever heard of a Death Cafe? Sounds unusually macabre doesn’t it? But infact it’s a wonderful idea founded by the late Jon Underwood in 2011. Death cafe sessions are now held worldwide.

They are not specifically support sessions but essentially they give people the opportunity to openly talk about death and dying and naturally from that come amazing conversations about living.

Tea and cake of course is a must!

Visit Pilgrims Hospice or search Death Cafe to find out when your next nearest local event is being held.

Funeral service at home?

Did you know you don’t have to hold a funeral service at a crematorium chapel or church? In fact, in the UK you can hold a non- religious ceremony in, ‘any place that is capable of holding a coffin and a group of mourners with dignity’. This could of course be a crematorium chapel or graveside burial, but also a community hall, or even your own home.

Recently, I had the honour of conducting a beautiful funeral ceremony in the garden of a family home, followed by a direct cremation.

Although we had agreed a clear structure to the service, we were not bound by time which afforded a wonderfully serene sense of space and calm. Close relatives and friends were able to share thoughts, memories and music in a much more relaxed and informal way in familiar and comforting surroundings, and the true essence of the whole service was love.

Celebrants work with families to help create meaningful and personal ceremonies. Your funeral director should be able to assist in planning a service to be held at home or other alternative venue. Further guidance can be found on The National Home Funeral Alliance website.