A Halloween Ode to Brompton Cemetery
Inspired by a Halloween stroll around Brompton Cemetery, London, Part of Life penned a poem to shine a light on the beauty to be found behind cemetery walls.
Demystifying body donation
Body donation is the act of giving your whole body after death to a medical school or research institution for use in education, research or training. So why do people choose to donate their bodies and how can you do it?
Doctors and death: A Dose of Grief
According to research, nearly 80% of doctors have experienced a distressing patient event in the last year, and many go on to suffer from depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Two Melbourne medical students, share how unprepared they felt to deal with the inevitable deaths of patients and how they are tackling this important issue.
Is death really taboo?
Sue Brayne has an MA in the Rhetoric and Rituals of Death and is an end-of-life researcher and she is the author of The D-Word: talking about dying.
In this blog for Part of Life, Sue explains how her work with the Death Café movement has led her to believe that talking about death is no longer the taboo it once was, but what we lack is the understanding of how to talk about death and dying.
Wild swimming and grief
Increasing numbers of studies are connecting the power of nature to wellbeing, pain management and peace at end of life. At Part of Life, we understand that nature can be a solace for mental suffering, be it anxiety, depression or grief.
There are many ways to connect with nature to access its mental health benefits. One popular method to immerse oneself in nature is wild swimming.
Burial customs from around the world
In the western world, though our funerary practices are evolving, we are most familiar with two methods to dispose of the dead: burial and cremation. In other parts of the world, the treatment of the dead and disposal of remains can vary enormously, with vastly differing rituals and beliefs.
A Good Goodbye
What makes a good goodbye? We invited independent funeral celebrant, and ex-social worker, Susanna Watson to share her thoughts on what elements make for a good funeral send off.
Cemetery Photography
Ever heard of Taphophilia? We approached tombstone tourist, Madame Cimetière, to share her love of cemetery photography and discover more about this respectful and beautiful art form.
Dr. Kate Woodthorpe on the future of grief
Part of Life spoke to Dr. Kate Woodthorpe, Co-Director of the Centre for Death and Society (CDAS) at Bath University, about how she came to work in death studies and where she believes the future of grief is heading.
‘Get Mortal’ - Dead Good Parties
We are sisters, Katy and Lindsey Vigurs (Vigurs rhymes with tigers). We are the founding directors of DEAD GOOD, a not-for-profit, arts-based death education company that aims to end taboos around all things death and dying. We have deliberately introduced a bright, bold and quirky vibe to the death education scene in the UK.
My Grief Playlist
Study beats, Saturday night party hits, hardcore workout anthems maybe, but a Grief Playlist? As part of National Grief Awareness Week, guest blogger, Amy Jackson shares her top five songs to grieve to. Listen along, share your top tunes and visit our Part of Life Playlist.
Children need to know
As part of Children’s Grief Awareness Week (16-23 November), we asked We Hear You’s Chair Of Trustees and Dorothy House Psychological Support Lead, Anne Montague to provide some useful tips for how to support children through grief.
What will your Digital Legacy be?
We all have a digital footprint. Every post on Instagram, every music playlist we’ve carefully curated. Whether it’s photos, emails or even gaming avatars, what will happen to them when we die and will loved ones ever be able to access them again as a means to connect and as balm to grief?
End of life care and learning disabilities
People with a learning disability and autistic people, who die earlier than the rest of the population face little or no end-of-life care planning. Lynnette Glass, BSW LeDeR area coordinator writes about their ambition to change this inequality.
In conversation with Kathryn Mannix
Wayne de Leeuw, ex-palliative care nurse and CEO of Dorothy House Hospice, interviews writer, speaker and palliative care specialist, Kathryn Mannix.
From the mouths of babes…
19 year-old Jess’s Mum died in May 2021. In this honest and disarming interview Jess shares her experience of death, grief and bereavement and its catastrophic impact on her academic career and personal life.
Supporting teens through bereavement
It’s tough being a teenager, especially in today’s world. It becomes immeasurably harder when you’re a teenager who is losing, or has lost a parent. Anne Montague, Trustee for We Hear You, discusses how to support teens through grief.
In conversation with Sir Al
From losing his father aged ten, to his time as England’s first Children’s Commissioner, the plight of hidden mourners and the role religions could play in destigmatising death - Sir Al Aynsley Green makes a passionate plea for change.
More Than Ever - a film review
Film review of Cannes nominee More Than Ever. A tale of love, loss, grief and conscious death against the breathtaking backdrop of the Norwegian fjords.
Beth Nielsen-Chapman Interview
On grief, mortality and the power of music to heal.