Dying Matters Awareness Week is a national campaign, supported by Hospice UK, which encourages communities to talk together about death, dying and grief. This year, the campaign takes place between 8 – 14 May.

Each year thousands of people get together and Hospices, healthcare trusts, schools, theatre groups, libraries, care homes, and artists organise events which are open to the public. The campaign aims to make it easy and more comfortable for people to talk about their death and concerns after their death. It also helps prepare those whose loved ones are facing death. Hospice UK has been the leading figure in this campaign since the inception of this week and continues to lead from the front to normalize what is a sensitive matter.

Add a Happy Memory to the ‘Happy Memories Hummingbird Trees’

For Dying Matters Awareness Week 2023, the focus will be on ‘Dying Matters at work’. Dr Jane Lavery, Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, and expert in the Mexican Day of the Dead, has curated a display of ‘Happy Memories Hummingbird Trees’ intended to show support for those colleagues or students who are ill, are caring for others or have experienced the loss of someone close to them.

A Mexican Day of the Dead tradition, the charm of Hummingbirds was created by children and their families to commemorate someone, or a pet lost. They wrote a happy memory or thought about their beloved ones or pets on heart-shaped tags which have been hung on the trees.

How to get involved

University staff and students are invited to add their own commemorative dedications by adding a happy memory of their beloved ones or pets to create a charm of memories around the trees. The charm of memories will be added to an online mural for all to see and add to if they do not get a chance to visit the trees in person.

The trees will be on display at Avenue Campus (in the Café) and the Hartley Library entrance between 8 – 14 May where there will be further information about Dying Matters Awareness Week and the Mexican Day of the Dead traditions.

Available support

If you have been affected by the topics relating to the Dying Matters Awareness Week, you can contact the following University welfare support services:

The Employee Assistance Programme is available to all staff offering a 24/7 confidential service supporting us with life’s difficulties and challenges.

First Aiders for mental health are available across our University who can offer advice and a confidential listening space. Further information on the Health and Wellbeing SharePoint site.