Dying Matters Week: Communities asked to produce art linked to theme of Dying Matters

Dr Chris Duffy, NHS HMR CCG Chair and local GP

As part of Dying Matters Week for 2017, Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Group (HMR CCG) and Springhill Hospice want local people to think about dying, death and bereavement, and to make plans for the end of their life by encouraging local people and communities to produce a piece of art linked to the theme of Dying Matters.

The offer is open to Hospices, schools, colleges, care homes, community groups, hospitals and other partners, or any local group or family who feel that they can reflect their thoughts and feelings about this emotive subject into a painting, a collage, or even in a digital form via a film or DVD.

The pieces of art will be displayed in Number One Riverside during the week beginning 13 March and people will be able to vote on their favourite. A virtual gallery will also be set up, which is a website where digital images are displayed alongside the stories of why the art work has been created. Voting will be open between the 1 and 21 of April, with the most popular piece of work in the gallery announced at a celebration event on 11 May between 6.30pm and 7.30pm

The winning piece of artwork will then be displayed in the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester during Dying Matters week on Thursday 11 May 2017.

Dr Chris Duffy, Chairman of HMR CCG, said: “As a society we are not often encouraged to think about the end of life and death, but the reality is it affects us all. We all lose loved ones and it’s important that we confront the subject of dying, so that we can tell our families how we want to be cared for, how we want to be remembered and how we want to share our worldly goods.

"Art is a good way for subjects to be explored and so this artwork competition is a perfect opportunity for local organisations, groups or families to articulate their feelings about this important subject.”

Anyone wishing to take part needs to deliver their artwork to Number One Riverside on the 13 March or contact Claire Tallantyre at Springhill Hospice, tel. 01706 649920, to arrange delivery.