Local residents are encouraged to share their hopes and dreams
St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice are attempting to compile Lincolnshire’s biggest ever bucket list during Dying Matters Awareness Week
St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice will be teaming up with The Waterside shopping Centre in Lincoln to raise awareness of the importance of talking about dying and putting plans in place.
From 9th – 13th May, local residents will be encouraged to add their hopes and dreams to bucket list style ‘Before I die…’ boards and decorate a cardboard coffin with poems, art, and quotes in a community coffin project.
Michelle Webb, Director of Patient Care for St Barnabas Hospice, said:
“Over half a million people die in the UK each year; yet talking about dying, death and bereavement is something that many people find challenging. Our presence within The Waterside Shopping Centre is about removing the stigma surrounding these subjects and encouraging people to have open and honest conversations.
“People may think it sounds morbid but the boards and the coffin project are as much about life as they are death. It is about encouraging people to make the most of the time they have and to put plans in place so that they can get on with living.”
The bucket list style boards and the community coffin project are part of a wider initiative to promote Dying Matters Awareness Week, which runs from 9th – 15th May. The annual campaign urges people to talk more openly and make plans for the end of life.
Michelle said: “Our hope is that the boards and coffin will help to get important conversations started about what really matters to people and tackle the reluctance to discuss dying and death.
“People can get involved right across the county as our 27 shops will also be hosting bucket list style window displays which our shoppers can add to. Our aim is to get as many people as possible involved in helping us to create Lincolnshire’s biggest ever bucket list.
“We hope that over time we can change social attitudes towards the topic of death and that by having open and honest conversations we will all be better equipped to support each other when death has an impact on our lives.”