Death is a taboo subject in Northern Ireland's society.
Most of us feel awkward when a friend, colleague or acquaintance brings the subject up - so what happens when we discuss death with a complete stranger?
That's exactly how Compassionate Communities is aiming to combat the taboo in what is becoming an increasingly popular concept - a 'Dying To Talk Cafe'.
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The Derry pop-up cafe is based on an open template used across the country.
The Death Café concept was initially based in London, and since starting up several years ago, they offer pop-up discussions of death over tea and cake in over 32 different counties.
According to their manifesto, their objective is "to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives".
Before lockdown, these types of cafes were places where complete strangers could come together over a decaf latte and slice of cake to talk about the often tricky and taboo subject.
However, with restrictions coming into force, the sessions were forced to move online, something which is changing again with centres now reopening for the cafes to resume as they did previously.
Sharon Williams, Project Manager of Compassionate Communities North West, said that the rebranding of the special cafe has resonated with people
She told MyDerry : "A Dying to Talk Cafe is one of the initiatives that Compassionate Communities uses. It's a conversation and we are trying to normalise conversations around death and dying so that people feel more comfortable having those conversations so they can support others who are going through a crisis.
"This is not a new idea, it comes the international movement of death cafes and when the project started a number of years ago in 2015, we did have some death cafes but unfortunately the cafes were not very well attended because people were put off by the word death and we took some feedback and rebranded them Dying to Talk Cafes and that softer touch has helped people get over the threshold."
Meanwhile, Kathleen Bradley, who is, is encouraging those who feel they need a frank, yet friendly, chat about the end of life to get involved.
"It's very important that get involved if they want to," Kathleen said.
"This provides an opportunity for us to be able to have a safe space to talk about death, dying and everything mortality related.
"That is not a conversation that many people have an opportunity to have and that's why I think it's important that people check out where their local cafe is and start the conversation.
"It's all about us, as a collective, to be able to have these conversations about death and dying and not be as awkward. The talking and conversation around death and dying is the seed that leads on to greater things for communities and people who need support."
If you'd like to find out more information, you can contact Kathleen on kathleen@compassionatecommunitiesnw.com or call 07841101932.
You can also visit Compassionate Communities' Facebook page HERE.
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