Online Death Cafes

Following a very successful Death Cafe in 2022, we are delighted to now offer online Death Cafes four times a year led by Wisdom Space Elder Sue Brayne and our Wisdom Space Director Sue Judge

We offer these online to make them accessible and affordable for everyone, including those who live outside of Wiltshire. Death Cafes provide a safe, confidential space for anyone to come and talk about death and dying in any way they want to. Since their inception in 2011, Death Cafes have played a vital role in how society is changing its relationship towards death and dying. We hope our online Death Cafes will provide a on-going source of support to anyone who needs help with end of life issues. Death, as Haruki Murakami so eloquently said, “is is not the opposite of life but an innate part of it” so by living our lives, we nurture death.

You can find out more about Death Cafes and what to expect below as well as book tickets for our next conversation and our free Top 10 Tips for end-of-life planning guide. 

Upcoming Death Cafes

• • Autumn (2023): Weds 18th of Oct – book now
  • Winter (2024): Weds 17th of Jan – book now
  • Spring (2024): Weds 20th of Mar – book now
  • Summer (2024): Weds 19th of Jun – book now
  • Autumn (2024): Weds 25th of Sept – book now
  • Winter (2024): Weds 11th of Dec – book now
•  Or view the whole collection on Eventbrite

Our top 10 tips  for end-of-life planning

A little more about Death Cafes and what to expect

What is a Death Café?

Death Cafes (deathcafe.com) were set up by Jon Underwood in 2011 to provide a safe, confidential setting for people to come together to talk about death and dying and what really matters over a piece of cake and cup of tea. We’re holding it online so you can bring your own drink and relax in the comfort of your home.

What Death Cafes are not

Death Cafes are not therapy sessions or grief and bereavement groups. Rather, they provide a space to share and discuss issues related to mortality, death and dying and end of life without agendas, objectives or themes.

Your hosts

• Sue Brayne has facilitated over a hundred Death Cafes and is the host of Embracing Your Mortality Podcasts. She has an MA in the Rhetoric and Rituals of Death and is the author of several books on death and dying including Living Fully, Dying Consciously: the path to spiritual wellbeing.Sue is also a TEDx speaker and spoke at TEDxFrome on “Wear your mortality with pride“.
• Sue Judge is a Living Well facilitator for one of the UK’s leading cancer charities Penny Brohn, and has co-faciiltated Death Cafes as well as loss & grief workshops. Sue is also a Nutritional Therapist, natural wellness coach and is training to become an Eco-psychologist.

Self-Care

Death Cafes are not recommended for those who have experienced profound loss and grief within the past twelve months. It is also recommended that those struggling with mental health issues should have emotional or psychological support in place before attending a Death Cafe. 

‘Rules’

There are no ‘rules’ as such. Just turn up and be willing to engage in conversations that really matter. However, it is always requested that participants speak from their own personal experiences, e.g. using ‘I’ and ‘me’. We kindly ask that you do not speak for others, or from personal, political or religious agendas and to respect that this is not a place to sell products or promote business.

We only ask is that you agree to remain with the Death Cafe for the full two hours. 

How much does it cost?

We are grateful for all donations – however big or small. Our suggested donation of £3.50 helps us to cover our costs as a not-for-profit community interest company and to continue to provide Death Cafes for the long term. 

Taking part

Just turn up and be willing to engage in conversations that really matter to you. A zoom link will be sent nearer the time for those who sign up. Please arrive in the waiting room a couple of minutes early so that we can start on time