Gina Awad and Aly Dickinson love hosting Death Cafes. We do, we do!  We joined forces in 2015 to run the first Exeter Death Café.  It seemed like a natural partnership with Gina being the Founder of the Exeter Action Dementia Alliance having done so much to make Exeter a Dementia Friendly City and Aly who is an End of Life Doula with Living Well Dying Well.  We had shared interests from the start.

We facilitate a Café every couple of months and are always amazed by the lovely people who attend – some to share, some to simply just listen.  People of all ages are interested from varied backgrounds with different values and beliefs.  The ambience is always warm and welcoming – there is laughter, sadness, honesty, sharing of hopes and fears, but never gloomy. 

Below is some recent feedback:-

‘It’s like no other conversation I have ever had.  You get straight to the point.  No superficial chit chat about did you come via the A30 etc.  The people are so genuine’

‘I have never really experienced someone dying.  I’ve known people who have died but they have just sort of disappeared and then no one talks about it.  So it’s built up in my head as a worrying secret.  That’s why I’ve come, so I can hear others’

‘A night out, with nice people talking about one of life’s most important events, discussing over a beer , what’s going to happen to all of us’.

What has really warmed our hearts is the cascading effect of our Death Cafes in Exeter.  Other Cafes have been set up across East Devon, Dorset, Cheddar, and a local Funeral Directors. The most recent event, that was inspired from our Death Cafes, was a short play Before I Die produced by final year Exeter University Drama students.  We were privileged to attend and witness their creation which was both authentic and illustrated such great emotional maturity.

Being able to reach the community to encourage people to talk about death and dying is our ongoing aspiration. The conversations can be about peoples hopes and preferences, their fears, how they would want their dying to be; to remember and talk about the death of people they have loved and/or have known and so on .  It’s a safe environment to talk about what’s on your mind in relation to end of life 

We would love to see you at one of our Death Cafes at KuPP, Exeter on:

Wednesday July 19

7 - 9pm                       

Venue to be advised

Wednesday September 20    

7pm to 9pm       

Venue to be advised

Monday November 13                   

7pm to 9pm       

Venue to be advised.  This will be a Remembrance Death Café where we will hold the space for people to talk about Bereavement and the people they have loved and who have died

They are also always posted on the website deathcafe.com and if you want more information you can always email Aly on Alizoun@alid.co.uk.