Come and meet all types of industry professionals, break down the taboos and take the fear and mystery out of death and what happens surrounding a funeral.
Are there questions around death and the funeral industry that you have been dying to ask someone?
As part of the Dying Matters Awareness week (14th – 20th of May 2018), Cardiff & Glamorgan Memorial Park and Crematorium (Port Road East, Barry CF62 9PX) are hosting a community awareness event on Wednesday 16th May from 5.30pm, providing information and the chance for people to ask questions and talk openly.
The event is being organised by Ceri-Lou Newman, a local Civil Funeral Celebrant, and hopes through open and informal discussion to breakdown the taboo surrounding the topic of death and start the #BigConversation that many people put off.
Ceri-Lou, from Cherished Memories is passionate about the ‘death positive movement’ which is gaining momentum. “Having trained as a funeral director and now through my work as a funeral celebrant, I see how difficult it is for families when their loved ones have died before making their wishes known to them. When we suffer an unexpected bereavement, understandably our emotions are all over the place; there is so much to organise; lots of paperwork to complete, family and friends to contact and often we are hard pressed to remember what Nanny’s favourite hymn was or what tie Dad would like to be buried in. Or would he prefer to be cremated and scattered in a place special to the family? One of the most thoughtful things we can do is make our wishes known so that when the time comes, we are not leaving loved ones with all these decisions to make and the possible worry that that we may have made the wrong decision. By breaking down the taboo surrounding death and funerals and by having conversations with our loved ones, we can find out what their final wishes are and honour them accordingly. Discussing our wishes now, while we can, will hopefully take away some of that unnecessary pressure at what will already be a difficult time”.
Through this free and open to the public event, you will be able to find out about the various options available and considerations to bear in mind. There will be suggestions of personal touches that families can arrange themselves to create a unique funeral service. Industry experts will be on hand to answer any questions you may have and will include funeral directors, funeral service leaders such as Civil and Humanist Celebrants and Ministers, Bereavement counsellors, experts in cremation, traditional and natural burials, palliative care organisations and representatives from organ donation and bereavement support groups. There will also be lots of information available from other industry related organisations that can help people think about what they would like for their own funeral. This is not a sales event; there will be space for informal discussions over refreshments for anyone who just wants to start the conversation and think about their own wishes.
Michelle Jones, Manager of the Memoria Cardiff & Glamorgan Memorial Park and Crematorium in Cardiff said, “This is a first for us, but we’ve seen, through the Dying Matters awareness campaign, all the other events taking place across the country and we think there is a need for open discussion here. Talking about death can be a bit awkward at first, but it is something we all have to face. We are proud to host this event and hopefully many big conversations will follow which, when had, will enable people to concentrate on living their lives to the full.”
For more information about the event please visit www.cherishedmemories.wales or call Ceri-Lou on 07999 715251.
