To Absent Friends | Festival blog

Dementia Friendly Midlothian

Rebecca Patterson — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 13:02:00 +0000

Accord Hospice Wall of Remembrance

Fri, 13 Nov 2015 15:09:00 +0000

At Accord Hospice in Paisley, they celebrated absent friends at Day Therapy. Music was their medium and they listened to many emotive and funny stories through words and song. Keeping to the theme of music, they also wrote memories of loved ones on blank CDs and displayed them on a wall of remembrance. Patients enjoyed taking part in the people’s festival of storytelling and remembrance, commenting that "it’s nice to have time and space to specifically reflect on those who we miss and love".

University of Dundee School of Nursing & Health Sciences

Fri, 06 Nov 2015 10:43:00 +0000

As part of their second year studies, Nursing Students from the School of Nursing and Health Sciences at the University of Dundee (Tayside and Fife Campuses) receive a Palliative Care lecture. This is an emotive subject and many of the students, in the past, have mentioned that this often evokes memories of their own personal loss.

Photo gallery of events

Rebecca Patterson — Fri, 06 Nov 2015 09:30:00 +0000

This gallery is a place to share photos of some of the great events that have been taking place as part of this year's To Absent Friends Festival.

anthology of writing by scottish young people

Site administrator — Wed, 04 Nov 2015 12:23:00 +0000

Schools from across Scotland have worked with professional writers and musicians to produce an anthology of stories and poems exploring loss. The work was inspired by personal experience of loss, as well as stories shared by local care home residents, of their ‘absent friends’ – loved ones who are dead, but whose stories live on. All the stories were written by young people aged 11—16 years.

Essence of a Memory Competition

Rebecca Patterson — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 10:05:00 +0000

Rosepark and Rosehill Remembrance Week

Fri, 30 Oct 2015 10:20:00 +0000

Rosepark and Rosehill, part of the Balmer Care Homes in Lanarkshire, will be having a week of remembrance from the 2 - 6 of November.

Here's To You

Thu, 29 Oct 2015 12:05:00 +0000

Ardgowan Hospice

Thu, 29 Oct 2015 11:38:00 +0000

Ardgowan Hospice are working with the young people in the secondary schools within Inverclyde to think about what they might want on their bucket lists, and also how they would like to remember their Absent Friends. One way which the young people will do this is to write the name of their Absent Friend on a card and pin it onto a communal notice board as an act of remembrance.

Cafe of Reminiscence

Fri, 23 Oct 2015 10:34:00 +0100

Another Cafe of Reminiscence is being held in the staff canteen at Glasgow Royal Infirmary on 3 November from 10am - 2pm.

Staff working within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have decided to host a reminiscence café to support To Absent Friends. Conversation menus will be used to encourage staff to have conversations about death and dying.

Remembering You

Fri, 23 Oct 2015 09:29:00 +0100

At Letham Gardens, a sheltered housing development in Dunbar, tenants will be remembering absent friends over afternoon tea on 24 November.

In Fond Memory

Fri, 23 Oct 2015 09:13:00 +0100

Tenants and friends of Market Court sheltered housing development in Haddington will be taking a walk down memory lane, remembering old friends who have now left us, with an event on 29 November.

Cafe of Reminiscence

Thu, 22 Oct 2015 15:06:00 +0100

At the Macmillan Centre, St John’s Hospital, Livingston, they are holding a Cafe of Reminiscence for To Absent Friends on Thursday 5 November.

Remembering The Light

Wed, 21 Oct 2015 10:54:00 +0100

A simple and creative candlelight ceremony, led by Fife poet Jayne Wilding, is going to take place on Falkland Estate on the evening of Monday 16 November from 6-8pm.

Honouring Memories

Thu, 15 Oct 2015 17:43:00 +0100

On 4 November, St Columba's Hospice, Edinburgh, will be hosting a special creative writing workshop for staff, held to mark To Absent Friends.

Stepping Stones

Thu, 15 Oct 2015 12:35:00 +0100

A couple of the churches in South Queensferry and Dalmeny have set up a six week course aimed at those people journeying through bereavement. The course is called Stepping Stones and each week there will be a different invited speaker who will talk around some of the subjects impacting people going through bereavement.

Willow Workshop

Wed, 14 Oct 2015 14:22:00 +0100

On the Isle of Lewis, a craft workshop is being held to mark To Absent Friends.

To Absent Friends with Waverley Care

Tue, 13 Oct 2015 15:11:00 +0100

Waverley Care, the charity providing care and support to people living with HIV or Hepatitis C throughout Scotland, will be having a gathering of staff, service users and volunteers to mark To Absent Friends on Monday 2 November. It will offer an opportunity to remember someone who has died and to take a little reflective space to stop and to honour.

Music Makes My Memories Magical

Tue, 13 Oct 2015 14:06:00 +0100

The Peacock Nursing Home in Livingston are holding a gathering to remember ex-residents on 10 November as part of To Absent Friends.

Loved And Gone Before

Fri, 09 Oct 2015 14:14:00 +0100