I AM writing to say a big thank you to all members of the Dying Matters Coalition and to local residents for their commitment during Dying Matters Awareness Week in May. Town halls, hospitals, hospices, care homes and schools have held awareness raising activities about the small actions that can make such a difference to people who are dying and their loved ones, including those who have been bereaved.

With hundreds of members in the local area and 17,000 across England, the Dying Matters Coalition is making a difference to breaking the taboo around discussing dying, death and bereavement.

Unless all of us feel more comfortable talking about dying and death, we are unlikely to have our wishes met about how we are cared for and how we are remembered, and it becomes harder to support people who are dying or who have been bereaved. By working with care homes, hospices, the NHS, funeral and legal service providers, retirement organisations, charities, community groups, libraries and faith and belief groups, Dying Matters is aiming to make good end of life care a reality for everyone.

Talking about our plans for the future, wills, funerals and where we want to die is a key part of having a good life and couldn’t be more important. We can help with user friendly information and resources about the small actions you can take to make a big difference. Please do visit www.dyingmatters.org

EVE RICHARDSON, Chief Executive, Dying Matters Coalition