BRISTOL MEMORIAL WOODLANDS SPONSORS GOOD GRIEF BRISTOL FESTIVAL Local funeral venue, Bristol Memorial Woodlands, has sponsored this year’s Good Grief Bristol Festival, which is taking place on 30 and 31 October. As well as being a sponsor of the event, they have teamed up with training provider Gentle Dusk to run four virtual Death Café’s over the course of the weekend.
Although people might imagine that attending a Death Café will be a morbid or depressing experience, most find it enlivening and comforting to connect with people on this very important aspect of existence. Conversations are decided on the day by people who attend. People often feel a sense of relief and community, sharing their ideas and being listened to without judgement.”
Gentle Dusk founder Mireille Hayden and her team of experienced facilitators will provide the sessions where people can talk, listen and ask questions around the topic of death – a subject many people find difficult.
Chris Baker, founder of Bristol Memorial Woodlands, said: “We are delighted to be a sponsor of this year’s Good Grief Bristol Festival and to be running these important sessions.
The festival features 50+ virtual events including talks and interviews, grief school, mindfulness sessions and grief chats. A headline event at this year’s festival is Ruby Wax in conversation with leading psychotherapist Julia Samuel.
“Death is inevitable for all of us and yet there is still a taboo around talking about it. We should all be discussing what we want to happen to our bodies after we die; what sort of funeral we would like to have and our hopes and fears around death.”
Mireille Hayden, who is a health psychologist and leading bereavement expert, said: “The Good Grief Festival is a fantastic annual event which provides a much-needed space for people to dispel the taboo of talking about death and dying.
Bristol Memorial Woodlands is a 100-acre site in Alveston offering environmentally-friendly woodland burials. Trees and wild flowers are planted around the plots where loved ones are laid to rest and the area is managed by a charitable trust to ensure it will be open forever for future generations to visit.
“I am pleased to be running four Death Café events at this year’s festival, following the success of last year’s sessions. 14
For more information or to book an event at the Good Grief Bristol Festival visit https:// goodgrieffest.com/
