*THE MASTERCLASS SERIES* These longer, in-depth sessions will include an extended Q+A section for attendees to pose their questions to the experts. February 2nd (18:00-19:15)  Julia Samuel: What I’ve learned about grief from working with bereaved people In our opening session, Julia Samuel will share the key things she’s learned about bereavement during her remarkable career supporting people who are grieving. As one of the UK’s leading psychotherapists, Julia has written three bestselling books about grief: GriefWorks, This Too Shall Pass and Every Family Has a Stor ..read more

We all grieve differently and need to find the bereavement support that works for us. Sometimes we might prefer to talk to someone one-on-one, while at other times we turn to a bereaved support group or online community. We might want support that is tailored to our specific experiences or circumstances, or look for practical advice about funerals, administrative tasks and more. But it is often really difficult to find what we need – or even know what’s available. Good Grief Festival was delighted to collaborate with Cardiff University, the University of Bristol, the National Bereavement Allia ..read more

On Saturday October 28th we are hosting a virtual mini-fest on The Shadow Side of Grief. These free events will ease into a few of the more painful aspects of grief such as regret, rumination and loneliness. We will consider the complexities of bereavement by suicide in particular. There will also be hope, as we share real stories on finding refuge in nature during times of pain. Register for free here. GRIEF SCHOOL WITH JULIA SAMUEL: RUMINATION + REGRET Regret is one of the most painful and complicated aspects of grief. How would we do things differently? What w ..read more

On October 9th we are honoured to be hosting a special discussion about Planning for the End of life in South Asian Communities in the UK. Over the past 18 months, the Subco Trust, Compassion in Dying and researchers from the University of Bristol have been working together to explore experiences of planning ahead, end-of-life care and bereavement among South Asian elders in London. Talking about the end of life and our wishes for the future is important if we want family members and clinicians to know what care and treatment we would want (and not want) if we become seriously ill. These conve ..read more

The wheel of the year is turning again. As the excitement and expectation of summer draws to a gentle close, and the autumn season approaches, we are reminded again that loss and change are an inevitable part of life. Our next mini-festival will be held on Saturday, September 30th, focusing on the theme of Understanding Heartbreak + Loss. This festival is for anyone who is healing a broken heart. Whether your partner has died or you are going through a relationship break-up; or even if you are carrying emotional baggage from a relationship that ended long ago. You ..read more

We are very excited to unveil…our brand new website! We’ve been working on the new Good Grief Hub for nearly a year now and we hope you’ll enjoy the improvements we’ve made. One of the things we’re most excited about is our New + Improved Resources Section which now provides an easy to navigate, one-stop-shop for anyone who wants to understand grief, or who needs some extra support. Here you’ll find articles, videos from previous Good Grief events, book and podcast recommendations and links to relevant groups and organisations. This section of the website will be continually updated with new c ..read more

Following an eventful Dying Matters Awareness Week 2023 earlier this month here in the UK, we feel as encouraged as ever to keep having conversations about grief, dying and everything in between. This Thursday, we welcome acclaimed memoirist and author of The Last Act of Love Cathy Rentzenbrink to interview poet, musician and broadcaster Musa Okwonga, whose father died in a helicopter crash at the age of 40. They’ll discuss Musa’s novel In The End, It Was All About Love, a journey of loss and self-acceptance that takes us from bustling Berlin to a quiet village on the ..read more

The days are getting longer and the daffodils are blooming which means it must be time for our March Mini-Fest on Finding Hope + Meaning in Grief including our first EVER live event in Bristol! On Friday, March 24th, David Kessler will be joining us in person at the University of Bristol to discuss his book Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief. Tickets for this event are FREE but limited and we’ll be live streaming for those who can’t make it to Bristol. On Saturday, March 25th, our virtual festival will take place featuring conversations with David ..read more

On February 25th, we are thrilled to welcome actor, comedian and podcaster Cariad Lloyd back to Good Grief Festival to discuss her new book You Are Not Alone. Cariad will be in conversation with the wonderful Julia Samuel, and will answer live questions from the audience. We hope you’ll join us for this very special event with two wise women who have fundamentally changed the conversation around grief and provided comfort to millions of people whose loved ones have died. This is a limited capacity event. Register here. Our next Mini-Festival will be in March on the the ..read more

Thank you so much for being part of our Good Grief community this year! We so appreciate you participating in our virtual events, giving feedback and continuing to support our work. We hope that our events have provided solace, information and opportunities to reflect and connect to others in our community. The holiday season can be really tough when we are grieving. Festive traditions often bring back memories of our loved ones and make us ever more aware of their absence. Meanwhile, it can feel like everyone else is surrounded by their families and are celebrating their love and togethe ..read more