Dying Matters Awareness Week 2025
Running from 5-11 May, this year the week's theme is The Culture of Dying Matters
Every year, people around the country use Hospice UK’s Dying Matters Awareness Week as a moment to encourage communities to get talking in whatever way, shape or form works for them.
This year the week’s theme is ‘The Culture of Dying Matters’.
At St Nicholas Hospice Care, we believe that talking about death and dying is one of the most important conversations we can have — but for many, it’s still a difficult one to start.
It is the mission of Dying Matters Awareness Week to help break down the stigma and taboo around these conversations. And that’s something we’re proud to support, not just during the week, but every day in the care we provide.
This year, the focus is on how different communities and cultures in the UK experience, talk about, and navigate death, dying, and grief.
While traditions and practices may differ, the emotions we feel — sadness, love, loss, and hope — are shared by us all. No matter our background, age, or beliefs, we all experience the impact of loss in deeply human ways. Scientific studies even show that, across cultures and communities, our brains process grief in similar ways — a reminder that despite our differences, we are united in what it means to grieve and to care.
As a Hospice that supports people from all walks of life, we understand how personal and unique these journeys can be. That’s why we’re committed to creating safe, compassionate spaces for people to talk about death and dying in a way that’s meaningful to them.
This Dying Matters Awareness Week, we invite you to join the conversation. Let’s explore what sets us apart — and what brings us together.
Come and speak to our teams
We'll have a stall at Bury St Edmunds market: let's have a conversation
On Wednesday, 7 May, members of our teams will be at Bury St Edmunds market talking about Dying Matters Awareness Week, as well as sharing more information about the Hospice and how it supports the communities of West Suffolk and Thetford.
We’ll be sharing Dying Matters Awareness Week resources and encouraging people to start conversations. We’ll use conversation starter cards which include a series of questions supplied by the Dying Matters and Hospice UK community.
There are no right or wrong answers to the questions.
Other events you can get involved with
Conversations at West Suffolk Hospital
On Thursday, 8 May, colleagues at West Suffolk Hospital will be having informal conversations around the week’s theme.
Did you know?
In the lead up to this campaign Hospice UK asked 10 people from different faiths, cultures and backgrounds some questions about death and dying.
• Some believe that death, and grief, connects them to their ancestors.
• Some say that death is intertwined with their faith, and some say it isn’t.
• Some believe that it is important to spend time with the body of the person who has died.
• Some say that remembering the deceased is one of the most important things you can do after they have died.
• But many say that death and dying is still not talked about as openly as it should be.
Resources created by Hospice UK
Please click on the links below to access leaflets:
Getting organised before you die
Being a good listener when you talk about dying
How to talk about death and dying
Talking about dying if you or someone you know has dementia
Support and advice suggestions from Hospice UK that could be useful
Dying Matters Awareness Week, which is organised and run by Hospice UK, signposts to several resources and organisations which may help.
Please click on the links below to view their resources.
(These are third-party resources, not created by St Nicholas Hospice Care).
Ataloss offers a national signposting service to help bereaved people find local, specialist and national support. ataloss.org
Child Bereavement UK provides information and support (including a helpline) when a baby or child of any age dies or is dying, and when a child is facing bereavement.
Compassionate Employers is Hospice UK’s workplace support programme, helping organisations and their employees to build an open, compassionate culture to support staff through grief, caring responsibilities, or a life-limiting illness
Cruse Bereavement Support is a national bereavement charity, which provides support, advice and information to children, young people and adults when someone dies.
The Good Grief Festival is a community of people talking about grief in a refreshing and honest way, with virtual talks, workshops and webinars held at online festivals throughout the year.
The Planning Ahead tool leads you, step by step, to think about your own values and the things that matter most to you in life and in dying. It will explain some of the treatment decisions that may lie ahead and ask you to think about whether the length of your life or the quality of the way you live matters more to you.
Hospice UK’s guide to end-of-life care provides clear and concise guidance about what to expect, what to ask, and where to get support when you or a loved one are facing end-of-life and bereavement.