Dying Matters Awareness Week – what's going on?

Read on for a list of events being held at St Michael’s as part of Dying Matters Awareness Week

Dying Matters Awareness Week takes place from 4^th – 10^th May.

St Michael’s Hospice is inviting its community to get talking about death, dying, and bereavement during this year’s Dying Matters Awareness Week (4–10 May 2026).

Every year, people around the UK use Dying Matters Awareness Week, led by Hospice UK, as a moment to encourage all communities to get talking in whatever way, shape or form works for them. 

Death, dying and bereavement affect us all. Yet 27% of people find it hard to talk about death with family or friends, and 30% bottle their feelings up.* If we don’t talk about death and dying and bereavement, it can be harder to cope when we experience it.

The mission of Dying Matters is to break down the stigma and taboo of talking about death and dying. But sometimes, it’s hard to know where to start.

This Dying Matters Awareness Week is focusing on the importance of conversations about death and dying – with family, friends, employers, anyone in your life – helping people to get the conversation started.

This year’s theme is ‘Let’s Talk about Death and Dying’ and we’re putting on a range of talks and activities. Most events are open to members of the public, and are indicated as such below.

During the week, we will be posting questions through social media surrounding death and dying, focussing on a conversational approach.

Questions will include: What’s the most unusual term you’ve heard to describe someone dying? This will be followed by a short online piece from Karen Evans outlining why our language around death and dying can often be metaphoric.  

The in-person events are listed below. There is no need to book for any of these events – just turn up.

Dying Matters Awareness Week events