This Dying Matters Week 2025, a team of local experts will be hosting 3 powerful events in the heart of Liverpool, designed to break the silence around death, grief, and mental health.
Designed to help open up more positive conversations about life, death, and whatever comes next, these sessions are open to everyone and are free to attend.
Hannah Todd – funeral celebrant at Memoria Occasions and Death Café host – was inspired to host events to help those dealing with grief following the death of her mother. Hannah said:
“My mum died, and I quickly realised how much I hated the euphemisms that surround death. People often ask me when I ‘lost’ my mum. But I didn’t lose her, I know exactly where she is. She’s currently in an urn halfway up the stairs! She is not lost, passed, at rest, sleeping eternally or in a better place. She didn’t slip anywhere or get called home. She died. But I also realised that not everyone is comfortable with this, so I had to read the room and be polite but in my experience the politeness actually made my own grief harder to deal with.”
Whether you’re an HR professional, healthcare worker, someone living with loss, or simply ready to engage in meaningful dialogue, this is a space for you. Expect expert panels, creative reflection spaces, and opportunities to connect.
The events programme is as follows:
Tuesday 6th of May – 7.00pm
In the evening, join us for our Suicide Podcast Café, in collaboration with Alfie’s Squad, where we explore male mental health, loss by suicide, and the importance of peer support – hosted in a relaxed coffeehouse setting of 92Degrees, Jamaica Street, L1 0AH
Wednesday 7th of May – 11.00am
Dying Matters: Conversations, Care & Planning
Join us for a thought-provoking and compassionate day of connection, support, and learning in a special conference in the historic Old Hall at the Cotton Exchange.
From 11 am to 3 pm, the space will be open to all; creating a welcoming environment where you can drop in and speak with a range of professionals including funeral directors, financial planners, legal experts, grief counsellors, and end-of-life care specialists. Whether you’re navigating grief, supporting a loved one, or planning ahead, this event is designed to empower, inform, and support.
🟣 Panel 1: Grief in the Workplace.
Explore the realities of managing grief and loss in professional settings. We’ll hear from HR experts, legal professionals, and those with lived experience on how businesses can support employees through bereavement, deal with the impact of a colleague’s suicide, and offer practical guidance for those caring for loved ones at the end of life.
🟣 Panel 2: Planning for the Inevitable.
Death is a certainty—yet many of us avoid talking about what comes after. This panel will focus on forward planning with kindness and clarity, offering insight into wills, probate, funeral arrangements, and what not to do when preparing for the end of life.
Throughout the day, you can also:
✔️ Connect with drop-in experts for one-to-one conversations
✔️ Pick up take-home resources and guides
✔️ Share your own questions and experiences in a supportive space
Lunch will be provided thanks to the generous support of Bruntwood.
This is a space to talk openly, ask the questions you’ve been too afraid to ask, and learn how we can all face death—whether personal or professional—with greater confidence, care, and compassion.
Wednesday 7th of May – 6.00pm
Death Cafe – Central Library, William Brown Street, Liverpool, L3 8EW.
Death is universal, but how different people and cultures deal with it is unique. This, and much more, can only be discussed in a safe and friendly environment, and a Death Café is exactly that. A Death Cafe is very different from a bereavement group and is not a grief support or counselling session, but is a safe and respectful space where people can discuss their views and experience of death & dying and explore their own mortality.
Death should not be a taboo subject as it will happen to all of us. We believe we should make it a normal part of our life – enabling all of us to live it better. The discussion will be led by Hannah Todd, who runs online and in-person Death Cafe Discussion Groups in the Liverpool area.
This in-person Death Café will be held in the Hornby Library on Floor 1 of Liverpool Central Library during Dying Matters Week and as a part of the Liverpool Library Service’s “Death Positive Libraries” Project.
Thursday 8th of May – 7.00pm
Grief Journaling Workshop
Are you looking for a safe space to express your emotions and process your grief? Join us for our online workshop where we will explore the healing power of journaling. Through guided exercises and reflection prompts, you will learn how to use writing as a tool for healing.
No writing experience is necessary – just bring an open heart and a willingness to explore your feelings. Our experienced facilitators will provide a supportive environment for you to share your story and connect with others who are also on a journey of healing.
Don’t miss this opportunity to nurture your soul and find comfort in the act of putting pen to paper. Sign up now and take the first step towards healing through writing!
To book: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/grief-journaling-workshop-tickets-1343621019639?aff=oddtdtcreator
