The Culture of Dying Matters

For Dying Matters Week 2025, from 5 – 11 May, we’ve got two meeting points as part of our Loved and Lost programme to come together and explore grief, loss and how we live well with it.

Our first event is a Grief Gathering at Formby Library with artist and theatre-maker Joshua Coates and librarian Sarah. A welcoming space for everyone – whether you’ve experienced grief or not – to connect, share feelings, ideas and experiences around love and loss.

Tuesday 6th May

2pm - 3:30pm

Formby Library

This gathering is an inclusive space, open to people of all ages, genders, backgrounds and beliefs. You’re invited to share your experiences and reflections around death and grief—but there’s no pressure to speak. Listening and being present is enough.

Situated in the gardens of Formby Library, there will be a moment to make simple, no-sew memory flags - something to take home, or leave to be displayed with care and gently fray over time.

The garden is fully accessible for wheelchair users and those with limited mobility via the back of the car park. Refreshments (hot and cold) will be provided – including cake!

Please let us know your access or dietary requirements when booking so we can make the day comfortable and welcoming for you!

This Grief Gathering is hosted by librarian, Sarah Jones and artist Josh Coates who have experiences of grief. Josh Coates (he/him) is a theatre maker and community organiser based in Liverpool. He makes work with people about people, giving space for stories to be told in experimental and experiential forms for audiences. When he’s not in a rehearsal room, he works with @homebakedclt in Anfield, creating events that bring neighbours together for a chat over a brew.

Warm thanks to This Grief Thing – a project that invites people to think, talk and learn about grief. It was created by the two artists at Fevered Sleep which inspired the Grief Gatherings.

Please book via LibCal here.
 

Join us for The Culture of Dying Matters an afternoon of creativity, connection and cultural exploration, including creative, artist-led activities, a talk and Q&A with the artists and a performance from artist Afreena Islam-Wright to hear more about how different diasporic communities honour their loved ones. Inspired by this year's Dying Matters Awareness Week theme, 'The Culture of Dying Matters', we will gather to share stories and celebrate different experiences of bereavement rituals.

Afreena Islam-Wright will talk about her personal insights into Muslim funeral rites and what these rituals mean to her as a Muslim in the UK. She will also perform the piece, Meet Me at the Cemetery Gates, which is about her dad’s funeral, grief and green spaces.

Our Producer, Debbie Chan will share stories about her experiences of British Chinese funeral customs, reflecting on both the comforting and challenging expectations placed upon her. She'll also guide people in the making of traditional ‘Blessing Envelopes’, explaining the significance they play in Chinese funerals.

Inspired by John Berger’s quote, “Our Candles WIll Go On Burning Doing Whatever They Can With Us”, Josh Coates invites everyone to participate in an interactive candle-making workshop. This is a chance to talk about candle-lighting as a ritual act of memory across different cultures, reflecting on how candles help us navigate feelings of loss, hope or celebration, & why this practice resonates with so many of us. 

Open to everyone interested in thoughtful conversations, hands-on creativity and wanting to discover something new about how people navigate the experience of love & loss. 

Refreshments and cakes will be provided. Please email hello@atthelibrary.co.uk with any access or dietary needs so we can make the space comfortable for you.

Book via LibCal here.