How you can support Awareness Week

Death Café is a good place to start - and probably one of the easiest things to do online. The Death Cafe website have some great tips for getting started online. 



We have a Facebook group for Dying Matters events hosts that you can join and get ideas. We've seen online film screenings, online plays and talks take place.

You can check what is happening here and when you have decided on an event (online or otherwise), upload it here.

If you would like to run an awareness-raising event when the lockdown is lifted, then great! Dying Matters carries on all year round. Below are some top tips and ideas. 

A Dying Matters Awareness Week event can be large, small or anywhere in-between. To give you inspiration, here's a small selection of actual events our members ran last year. Remember, you'll need permission from the site owner for any event in a public space. 

• A coffee morning at the library in aid of a local hospice, with Dying Matters resources on display
• A hospital display featuring a tree of life graphic on which members of the public could post notes about improving services relating to death and dying
• Funeral directors' open day
• Death Cafe
• An afternoon of activities, including the screening of Dying Matters films and talks from local bereavement associations and funeral directors.

During the week we will be encouraging the public to discuss what they want for the end of their lives with those close to them.

We will also be encouraging people to take five simple steps to make their end of life experience better, both for them and for their loved ones. These are:  

• Write your will
• Record your funeral wishes
• Plan your future care and support
• Consider registering as an organ donor
• Tell your loved ones your wishes

Ideally, you will base any events you run around these actions. However, as long as what you're planning fits with Dying Matters' broad agenda - to positively change attitudes and behaviour around talking about and planning for death - we'll be happy. 

James Norris of My Wishes shares his 32 top tips for running a Dying Matters Awareness event.

One of potentially the most effective ways of securing media coverage is to send out a press release.

Keep it short and punchy - never more than two sides of A4 - ideally a lot less.

Top tips:

• Ensure you cover the Five W's: Who, What, Where, Why, When.
• Make it clear whether the event is open to the general public.
• Include key contact details.
• If possible, set up an interesting photo opportunity - and make sure you mention it in the press release. However, don't rely on a newspaper sending a photographer to the event - have someone take high quality photos and send them to the papers afterwards. 
• It's generally best to contact journalists by email in the first instance. Your press release should be pasted into the body of the email, not sent as an attachment - you don't want to place any barriers in the way of it being read. Make sure your email subject line is strong so that it grabs journalists' attention.
• Do follow-up your press release with a phone call to check receipt and to further sell your story. 

Once you have decided on the specifics of your event, make sure you share it with us so we can help you promote it. Submit your event details. 

• Set a clear objective
• If appropriate, decide secondary objectives
• Agree achievable results and future outcomes
• Be clear about your target audience

There are many other ways you can promote and support Dying Matters Awareness Week. Here are just a few of them:

• Feature a news story on your organisation’s website
• Promote it in your staff newsletter
• Follow Dying Matters on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram,
• Tweet about it
• Post a Facebook status
• Share on Instagram
• Receive regular updates about what we're up to: sign up for our newsletter

Awareness Week: event case study

Hosting a Dying Matters event (32 things to consider)

How to create a Before I Die board