Cumbrians are being invited to a series of ‘Conversation Cafes’ aimed at supporting local people to have open and positive discussions about life, death, grief and bereavement.

The pop-up events are being hosted by Eden Valley Hospice and Jigsaw, Cumbria’s Children’s Hospice during Dying Matters Week, an annual national initiative led by Hospice UK encouraging all communities to get talking.

This year, the awareness week takes place between Monday, May 8 and Sunday, May 14 and the hospice will be running events across north Cumbria on:

• Tuesday, May 9, Eden Valley Hospice coffee lounge, 10.30am – 12.00pm
• Wednesday, May 10, St Andrew’s Reading Rooms, Penrith, 10.30am – 12.00pm
• Thursday, May 11, Tullie House, Carlisle, 1.30pm – 3pm
• Friday, May 12, Wigton Market Hall, 10.30am – 12.00pm

Members of the hospice’s patient and family support team will be on hand at the cafes to help facilitate and encourage discussions about death, dying and future planning and how the hospice can support people.

Anyone in the local community is welcome to attend, not just those who’ve been supported by the hospice previously or those who have a life-limiting illness.

Wendy Ashton, Palliative Care Social Worker and Family Support Team Lead, said: “It is not always easy to talk about death, dying and bereavement, however, it is nothing to be scared about.

“The ‘conversation cafes’, we hope, will help people to have meaningful conversations about what will happen at the end of life and help people be more prepared speak about this with their family, friends and wider support network.”