Dying Matters Awareness Week

The mission of Dying Matters is to break down the stigma and taboo of talking about death and dying.

To this day, that’s still applicable to much of the UK.

But do we all have the same attitudes, views and practices on death and dying?

There are of course many differences in the ways that cultures and faiths approach and mark death and dying. But at their core, feelings about dying, and our experiences of grief, are universal emotions that we all share, no matter who we are or where we live.

While a friend or family member’s death can affect every person differently, studies of grieving brains have shown that there are no scientific differences in relation to race, age or religion. We can all feel the impact of the loss, helplessness, sadness – but we may do it, and show it, in different ways. 

We may all talk about death and dying in a multitude of ways, but we share a common thread.

This Dying Matters Awareness Week, we’re focusing on how different communities and cultures in the UK feel, talk about, and deal with death and dying – and what brings them together.

Because the culture of Dying Matters.

Join us from 5 – 11 May 2025 for Dying Matters Awareness Week. 

We're working on getting Dying Matters Awareness Week resources ready for you to use and download. Here's what you can expect:

What's On - tell us about your event: the events map and submission form will be live by the end of January. You'll be able to submit your Awareness Week event listings for free.

Resource packs: each year, we produce resource packs with talking points, posters, social media graphics, images and other useful info to help you plan your events. These will be ready for you to download by the end of February.

There was a lot happening for Dying Matters Awareness Week in 2024.

Hundreds of events took place around the UK - explore them.

Read our featured stories of Patricia, Mumtaz or Lucy - or watch our campaign animation (see above).

We shared plenty of resources to help everyone make the most of the week, and some might still be useful now.

We can't do any of this alone, so if you'd like to help make a huge difference when it comes to having honest conversations about death and dying, please consider making a donation.

The theme of Dying Matters Awareness Week in 2024

Honest, timely conversations about death and dying are essential to good end of life care. Yet all too often barriers, including lack of confidence, taboos around discussing death, and confusion about who should be having these conversations mean patients, carers and families may not understand what is happening, or get all the information and support they need.

We shared what the public think about how language used by healthcare professionals has affected end of life experiences, and shared stories from people who are dying, and the families of people who have died.

The brilliant people who work in our 200+ hospices around the UK are experts in death, dying, and end of life care. So we asked them to share their tips and advice on how to start honest, transparent conversations about death and dying to help people feel informed, supported, and empowered at one of the most vulnerable times of their lives.

For Dying Matters Awareness Week in 2024, we helped communities around the UK to come together to talk about having those end of life conversations, whether with their healthcare professionals – or families, friends and colleagues.

Because the way we talk about Dying Matters.