Most would think it’s a conversation killer but the Death Cafe is coming to Huddersfield.
The Death Cafe movement is sweeping the country. It’s where people sit down over tea and cake and chat – about death.
Ironically, Huddersfield’s Death Cafe came about during an event celebrating International Day of Happiness last month.
Birkby author and part-time postman Gavin Whyte spoke about death on Happiness Day and his words struck a chord.
Now Gavin has teamed up with Emley-based events organiser Susan Dewhurst to stage Huddersfield’s first Death Cafe, to be held on Saturday April 26 at Cafe Society in Byram Street.
Places were restricted to just 10 for the first event – and the free tickets were snapped up within days.
Gavin, 30, who writes about spiritualism and personal development, said: “It’s a pretty grim topic and the name Death Cafe sounds horrendous but I imagine it can be quite uplifting for people.
“The objective is to increase awareness of death to help them make the most of their lives. You simply meet up for a couple of hours and discuss death.”
Gavin stressed the two-hour gathering wasn’t intended as a counselling session but added: “I believe it will be very therapeutic and everyone knows someone who has died and it will be hard not to bring your own past to the table.”
Gavin reckons the event will be akin to speed dating as people sit down at tables and chat to strangers before moving on.
“It’s just a group discussion with no set agenda,” he said. “Questions asked could be such as is there life after death, do you want to be buried or cremated or are you afraid of death?”
So who would attend a Death Cafe?
“I think they’ll be 30-plus and all-female but there’s no age limit,” said Gavin. “If you asked a man to talk about death he’d say ‘no chance’ but women are more open minded and more willing to talk about their feelings.”
Even though the event is fully booked, Gavin and Susan intend to wait until it’s over before deciding whether to hold another.
“Death is a taboo subject in society but it is clear that people want to talk about it openly without being judged as being macabre,” said Gavin. “Talking about death is healthy.”
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