The first ‘Pushing up the Daisies’ Festival of Living and Dying took place in Frome over the weekend of 11th-13th October, with over 750 people attending events throughout the weekend.
The festival helped to encourage information sharing and conversations on death and dying, along with entertainment from storytelling to poetry, music performances and art works.
Angela Ward, founder of the ‘Pushing up the Daisies’ Festival said, “The event was a great success. I hope it will be the beginning of many more events designed to engage and educate people about everything to do with death and dying.”
The festival opened on Friday 11th October with an evening by firelight at the Bennett Centre. Christine Sweetman-Willis talked wittily and movingly about her “Journey to the End” with her mother, before singing a spiritual lament. Jane Flood then told three powerful stories from Russia, Africa and Britain, touching on the common theme of human mortality.
On Saturday 12th October, there was a series of events at Christ Church in Frome where Antonio Rolls had mounted a very poignant exhibition of portraits and stories connected with people’s dying. Other organisations also provided art installations including Dorothy House’s chaplaincy team, who invited festival visitors to interact with a memorial art installation called ‘Framing Life’ which offered a space for people to remember and celebrate the life of a loved one who has died.
Rosie Jackson of the Frome Poetry Group read poems on the theme of loss, beauty and spirit and Helen Ottaway performed from her new requiem work which is in the process of being composed in response to the loss of her mother.
On Saturday evening Kevin Toolis, the author of “My Father’s Wake”, brought words and music together in celebration of one of the oldest rights of humanity. In bardic poetry harking back to Homer’s Iliad and accompanied by two musicians, he celebrated the craic, joy and the haunting lament of a traditional Irish wake.
On the Sunday, a fair was held at the Cheese and Grain with a series of informative and well-attended talks and over 30 stalls in the main hall, which included some ‘day of the dead’ face painting for the children and shadow puppetry. The talks included speakers from Dorothy House Hospice Care, the Home Funeral Network, The Royal United Hospital, Bath University and West Wilts Crematorium and opened up some interesting discussions.
Donna Peake, head of community development at Dorothy House Hospice Care said, “We were delighted to be involved with this inspiring, new festival and were glad to have so many valuable conversations with visitors of all ages about planning ahead for the future. It was also exciting to be able to tell people about Dorothy House and We Hear You launching a joint coffee club in November at Frome’s Cheese and Grain. Our thanks to the festival team for choosing us as the beneficiary of the event, all funds raised will help us provide vital care for patients living with a life-limiting illness.”
Death cafes were held throughout the day for people to share their own experiences and in the evening, Liz Rothschild performed her one-woman show “Outside the Box” at the Bennett Centre. Liz is the manager of a green burial ground in Oxfordshire and she told some real-life stories touching on end of life, dying, death and holding a funeral.
The Pushing up the Daisies Festival was a not-for-profit event and all money raised will be donated to Dorothy House Hospice Care. Sponsors included Mogers Drewett Solicitors, goSimply Funerals, J. C. Atkinson and Musgrove Willow. Friends of the festival were Beyond, Greenwood Funerals, James Willis Faces and Honey Legal.
To find out more about the festival visit www. pushingup thedaisies.co.uk or for Dorothy House Hospice care visit www.dorothy house.org.uk
