DeadSocial will be running a pop-up shop in aid of ‘Dying Matters Awareness Week’ again this year. Below is the full lineup of events, happenings, death cafes, performances, art installations and workshops. These range from NHS workshops to DeadSocial’s art installation that uses realtime data to update a realtime infographic (something we call a LivInfographic). This year’s theme for Dying Matters Awareness Week is ‘You only die once’.
Dying Matters is a broad based and inclusive national coalition of 30,000 members, which aims to change public knowledge, attitudes and behaviours towards dying, death and bereavement.
DeadSocial’s Pop-Up Shop, London 2014 – Full Timetable
Below is the full list of those involved and the events and happenings that will take place during the week.
Monday 5th May (Closed / Bank holiday)
Tuesday 6th May – Saturday 10th May (10am-5.30pm unless otherwise stated)
You Only Die Once Art Exhibition
The You Only Die Once Art exhibition will run alongside the public events highlighted below. Artists featured: Sequin Kay & Lauren Baker, Natalie Jackson, Marianne Hamel and Nikki Johnson, Krystle Mickael, Beth Hughes & Janne Parvianen.

(Artwork shown above by Janne Parviainen)
Tuesday 6th May (10am-10pm) - The Natural Death Centre

The Natural Death Centre is a social, entrepreneurial, educational charity that gives free, impartial advice on all aspects of dying, bereavement and consumer rights.
They give support on family-organised and environmentally friendly funerals, and we run the Association of Natural Burial Grounds.. Although green in outlook, they promote choice and education in all aspects of funerals.
The day will be facilitated by Susan, Fran and Josephine
10.00-14.00 – Natural Death Salon drop in session – come and have an informal chat over a cup of tea on all matters death related, dying, death, funerals and bereavement – Natural Death Centre.
14.00-15.00 ‘Thinking ahead before you’re Brown Bread (Dead)’ – Have you put your affairs in order ? NDC Discussion Salon by Susan Morris, Natural Death Centre
15.30-16.30 ‘Keeping Funeral Costs down with a Green Funeral’- by Simon Ferrar Clandon Wood Natural Burial Ground
17.00-18.00 ‘How can I organise a more personalised Funeral?’ by Fran Hall, Natural Death Centre
18.30 -21.15 Death Centre Death Cafe’ by Josefine Speyer, NDC cofounder & patron & Susan Morris, NDC Trustee.
Wednesday 7th May (10am-1pm) - NHS Central and North West London & UCLH Palliative Care Team, Camden Carers Service, Carers Health and Support Teams Present: Pop-Up Carers Café



Are you caring for someone in their last years? Getting support and advice in Camden is a piece of cake! Be better informed and better supported, join us for a chat over tea and cake.
11am - Talk by Camden & UCLH Palliative Care Team, Susan Morris & Stephanie Riley, Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialists, CNWL
11.30am - Information by Camden Carers Service, Carers Health and Support Teams
12.00pm – 1.00pm - Informal chat over tea and cake
*Wednesday Afternoon - Email us if you are interested in using the space via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Wednesday (7pm onwards) - You Only Die Once, Private Viewing. Invitation requests can be made via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

(Artwork shown above by Lauren Baker & Sequin Kay)
Thursday (10am-5pm) – Reclaiming Funerals Collective and The Good Funeral Guide present: 'You Only Die Once - Beautiful and Affordable Ways to Go’

Reclaiming Funerals Collective is an informal collective of people who work around death and bereavement. In their individual working roles, they support the bereaved to take ownership of funerals and of the grieving process. Their work is all about helping people to reclaim the funeral as a community event, as an authentic grieving ritual that calls upon natural imagination, authentic emotions and collective resources. Affordability and practicality is at the core of what they do, supporting those with minimal resources to help create beautiful funerals for their loved ones.
The Collective & The Good Funeral Guide invite you to tell your own stories, share your own ideas and experiences, create your own beautiful ‘memorialia’, join them for conversation over tea and cake......and much more.
'Pop In' Activities
Death & Diversity, Words Left Unsaid, Postcards to the Other Side, Design your own Urn, Words in a Basket, The Healing Tree, What is a Funeral for? The People's Mortuary
Dialogues about Death
Dialogues about Death
Cake and Conversations – one to one conversations over tea and cake.
The Art of Grief – Beth demonstrates how art is helping
her to process her feelings about her dad's death.
Workshops: 'Serious Fun'
Recycled Roses – make your own personalised funeral flowers from egg cartons with Claire.
Lanterns for Longing Hearts – make a lantern for a loved one with Beth
Funerals Unlimited – help to plan a funeral on a deserted island.
Tender Images
Earth Vessels – Beth's beautiful personalised urns
Only with Love: A beautiful way to go.
Thursday 8th May - (6.30pm - 9pm) Death Cafe with Jon Underwood

Jon Underwood set up Death Cafe after coming across the work of Swiss sociolagist Bernard Crettaz. Jon works on serveral different projects about death. Death Café’s concept is simple, Tea and cake is served and areas that accompany death are addressed. It is a collaborative / participatory event with no fixed or business agenda. Attendees are requested to be respectful of all beliefs furthermore the focus of a death cafe is on death not religion. We hope to see you there. More information here
Friday 9th May - (10am –5pm) - Leverton & Sons Ask the Undertaker

Richard Putt and Lori MacKellar will be on hand to answer any questions that you may have regarding funerals and how to serve those who are approaching the end their life.
Richard Putt answering 'An Undertakes Most Frequently Asked Questions' (FAQs)
Leverton & Sons have been an Independent Funeral Directors since 1789. They aim to be highly flexible as funeral directors and to be led entirely by the wishes of their clients. They serve all creeds and cultures and increasingly encounter people with highly personal and creative ways of coping with death. As a family and throughout the company they continue to be educated and inspired by the life stories of those who have died and the personalities of those who instruct them.
Levertons are members of the Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors; National Selected Morticians; Selected Independent Funeral Directors; the Association of Green Funeral Directors. Recommended by the Natural Death Centre and The Good Funeral Guide.
Friday (6.30pm - 8pm). Save the Male - Dying Matters Awareness Week Special
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Save The Male is a comedy, poetry and music showcase, raising awareness of the male suicide prevention charity CALM. Compered by stand-up poet Jack Rooke and curated by Cecilia Knapp, the showcase aims to encourage and inspire people of all ages to engage in creative expression.
CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) are a charity working endlessly to tackle the statistic that suicide is the biggest killer of young men in the UK.
Suicide bears a silent stigma and many young men feel unable to talk or seek support when feeling down or in times of crisis. Save The Male wants to break down these barriers by encouraging more of us to be open and honest through engagement with creative outlets such as poetry, comedy and music.
At the core of our ethos is the belief that expression is the most accessible form of self-help. Save The Male wants to promote to everyone, through workshops, ‘Make It Write’ anthologies and fundraising events, that ‘being silent, isn’t being strong’ and that the boundaries of expression are limitless.
Jack Rooke stumbled upon Dying Matters Awareness Week by chance last year. It inspired him to write the 'Before I Die I Would like to...' poem. This story and the poem itself is performed by Jack below:
Confirmed acts for the Save the Male - Dying Matters Awareness Week Special include:
Laurie Bolger @lauriebolger host of standup poetry night Bang Said The Gun and radio presenter.
Cecilia Knapp @ceciliaknapp musician/poet and associate artist of The Roundhouse
Previous headliners include: Jordan Stephens (Rizzle Kicks), Rob Auton (Dave Funniest Joke Of The Fringe 2013), Chris Redmond (Tongue Fu, Radio 4) and Jodi Ann Bickley (Author of Sunday Times Best Seller 'One Million Lovely Letters')
Friday (8pm-Late) DeadSocial Party

The Pop-Up shop will conclude with the DeadSocial Party (wahoo). There will be live music, drinks and industry networking aplenty. This event is free to attend however tickets are required. Live Music provided by the awesome 'Sweetcorn Bread' (as heard on BBC Radio). More information about this final event in the pop-up shop can be found here
Tim Watt Performing at DeadSocial's Pop-Up party in 2013
Saturday 10th May (11am-4pm) You Only Die Once Exhibiton (only)
Sunday 11th May (Close)
All of the events listed above will be taking place in the Collective Pop-Up Shop, 69 Camden High Street between 6th-10th May. A map of it's location can be found below:
About Dying Matters
Dying Matters is a broad based and inclusive national coalition of 30,000 members, which aims to change public knowledge, attitudes and behaviours towards dying, death and bereavement. We only get one chance to have our dying wishes met, that’s why the theme of the fifth annualDying Matters Awareness Week is ‘Dying Matters: You only die once’.
About DeadSocial
DeadSocial is an end of life tool for those of us who want to say “goodbye” in our own way to our friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter. Our free service provides an environment where users create a series of messages. These consist of text, images and video. The messages are saved and only sent to our Facebook & Twitter profiles once we pass away. Once a user has created one or more messages they are asked to assign a ‘digital executor’. The trusted executor enters an agreement confirming that they will administrate the user’s messages once they pass away.
DeadSocial is helping us to address death digitally and provide ways in which to bring our digital life to a managed ending. www.DeadSocial.org
Camden Town Unlimited
Camden Town Unlimited has been appointed by the business community to improve Camden Town as a place to work, live and visit. Their projects include the ‘Collective Pop Up’.
Leverton & Sons
We would like to thank Leverton & Sons for supporting the Pop-Up shop once again this year. Their support has helped ensure that the event will take place and the the fantastic programme occurs. www.levertons.co.uk