Reading Death Cafe

Reading Death Cafe is back at RISC World Shop and Global Refills on Wednesday 3 February, from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. It's run by the Reading Death Collective, and the format is pretty simple: people gather to drink tea, eat cake and talk about death.

If that sounds like a heavy way to spend a Wednesday evening, it helps to know what a Death Cafe actually is. It's a discussion group rather than a bereavement or grief support group, so it's not about working through loss. The idea is to increase awareness of death in order to help people make the most of their finite lives. It's a friendly, informal get-together with no set agenda, so the conversation goes wherever it happens to lead. You can talk about the practical side of things, the philosophical side, or just sit and listen if that's more your speed.

Because there's no fixed programme, you don't need to come prepared with anything in particular. It's just a space to have the kind of conversation that rarely comes up in normal life, over a cup of tea and a slice of cake. The Reading edition is run by the Reading Death Collective, and it's open to anyone who wants to join in.

It runs from 6:30pm to 8:00pm at RISC World Shop and Global Refills, 35-39 London Street, Reading RG1 4PS. Entry is free.