We believe it’s time to start a more open conversation about death and what it means to us today. There’s so much room to explore what feels meaningful and what our choices really are. This blog is a place to share new ideas, practical advice, and stories from the frontlines of death and dying.
Talking
Death
In Conversation
Katrina Spade is on a mission to transform how we think about death care. She’s the founder of Recompose, a Seattle-based company that uses an environmentally-friendly process to convert human remains into soil. With its first facility planned to open in 2020, Katrina tells us about building death-friendly cities, connecting with nature and how recomposition actually works.
Ideas & Guidance
Have you ever considered choosing a natural burial ground? Natural burial grounds gently return people to the earth without using embalming or non-biodegradable coffins. They’re usually found in green spaces like forests, meadows or parkland. Natural burial grounds can be absolutely stunning and are a brilliant choice if you’re planning an environmentally-friendly funeral. There are so many wonderful options to choose from, but here are some of our favourites.
In Conversation
Aindriú Peers is a practical lead here at Poppy’s, driving hearses, helping at burials and collecting people who have died from homes and hospitals. He’s also an author, teaches Shamanic Druidry and is a former Trappist monk. Aindriú explains his path from punk to monk to working in death care.
Ideas & Guidance
Women have played a hugely important role in the history of how we care for people who are dead or dying. It’s time to celebrate their work, from the pioneers of the hospice movement to the doctors and inventors changing how we think about death and dying today.
In Conversation
Aaron Thackray and Neil Wilford run our beautiful mortuary here at Poppy’s. Mortuary work can be shrouded in secrecy, but we believe that openness should be normal. In this interview, Aaron and Neil share their thoughts on gentle death care, the challenges of Covid-19, and why Neil was once invited to give talks on death during bingo.
In Conversation
Kate Ward is a palliative care nurse specialist and works as part of a team at Royal Trinity Hospice. She talks to us about palliative care, visiting Poppy’s with her colleagues and why deciding what your death should look like is too important to leave to other people.