With so much to think about in our day-to-day lives, most people don’t generally turn their thoughts to death and dying very often. In fact, it’s probably not something we want to think about, but with more than half a million people dying in the UK every year, it’s well worth a little thought – for ourselves and for others.
This Dying Matters Week (4-10 May 2026), hospital staff across the Humber are encouraging everyone – no matter their age – to think about dying matters.
According to the charity, Hospice UK, more than a quarter of us (27%) find it difficult to talk about death with family and friends, and nearly a third (30%) say they bottle their feelings up.
To help clear the air and start some positive conversations, a range of events will be held at Castle Hill Hospital and in community locations in Northern Lincolnshire over the coming week to encourage more people to think ahead and plan with a positive mindset.
Alison Redhead, End of Life Lead Nurse for North Lincolnshire (community) at NHS Humber Health Partnership says:
“Death, dying and bereavement affect us all but often we don’t like to think about it, or we don’t like the feeling of awkwardness it can create when we talk about it with family and friends.
“Some of us might have a will and think that’s all we need, but have we thought about telling loved ones what we might want if we need palliative care, for example, or what our wishes are after death? Do we know what benefits might be available, have we discussed Power of Attorney, organ and tissue donation, or what might happen to our children if the worst happened?
“For employers, they may have concerns about handling a death in the team or what to say to an employee who’s lost a loved one, and on a personal level, someone might be struggling to come to terms with their own grief but be unsure who to reach out to for help.
“This Dying Matters Week, we want to break down the stigma and taboo associated with the subject and get more people to talk about death and dying. We know that these types of conversation can be difficult, so our end of life care teams are hoping to help by holding a series of events across the region where we can get the conversation started.
“You never know what’s round the corner, for yourself or for others, so it’s important to give the matter a bit of thought now and take some positive steps so that when the time comes, there’s more clarity and less strain on those around you.”
The schedule of events will take place as follows:
| Tuesday 5th May | Live Well (Isle of Axholme) Epworth Leisure Centre The Pods, Scunthorpe | 10am – 12 noon 10am – 3pm |
| Wednesday 6th May | Queen’s Centre for Oncology and Haematology, Castle Hill Hospital, Cottingham UCNL College Ashby Road, Scunthorpe. | 10am – 2pm 2pm – 6pm |
| Thursday 7th May | Morrisons Supermarket Scunthorpe Silica Lodge Garden Centre, Scunthorpe | 10am-3pm 10am-3pm |
| Friday 8th May | Scunthorpe Market Lindsey Lodge Hospice Memorial Garden Event, Scunthorpe | 10am – 3pm 2pm – 4pm |
Dr Alex Wray, End of Life Care Matron for NHS Humber Health Partnership says:
“As the Queen’s Centre in Cottingham is the region’s main cancer centre, we’ll be holding our largest event there, where visitors will not only be able to talk to nursing staff, but we’ll have colleagues from mortuary and bereavement services along as well as representatives of our local hospices.
“Reaching out to start a conversation is a really positive step, whether you’re struggling with grief yourself, need help with end of life planning, or just want to know what kinds of things you could or should be thinking about now. Please come along to one of our events and our teams will help to start a safe and supportive conversation.”