Northern Ireland to host its first funeral fair

Compassionate Communities NI, a community group focused on changing attitudes and behaviour towards ageing, death and bereavement, will be hosting the first ever funeral fair for the north west region of Northern Ireland. 

The funeral fair will reportedly take place on Saturday 12 November from 12pm to 4pm at the Guildhall in Londonderry as a free entry event. 

The funeral fair is said to be an opportunity for people to explore funerals and funeral planning, bringing together elements involved in planning a funeral from administration to final resting place. 

At the event, information covering the different aspects of funeral and end of life planning will be available from such attendants as Organ Donation NI, Derry City and Strabane District Council, Advice North West, CRUSE Bereavement, NI Humanist, Foyle Hospice, and Healing Hearts, as well as Eternity Cards, Lynch’s Flowers, City Cemetery History, Natural Burial Campaign, Pat Harley, and Funeral Director, among others. 

The community group, which is based at the Foyle Hospice in Derry and Londonderry, reportedly aims to create positive conversations and opportunities to explore the end of life as “a part of life”.

A spokesperson for Compassionate Communities said: “We want to demystify death and dying and encourage members of the public to think about and plan for their end-of-life. We want to make funeral planning more accessible and help people see it as, not necessarily an activity that is in reaction to a death, but something we can plan ahead for.

“No one likes to think about the end of life, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t. As a project, we don’t shy away from death and dying. We promote the message that thinking ahead and planning ahead is an important part of ensuring we have the end of life that we want. It’s our funeral, it makes sense that we plan it.”