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The Festival of Life and Death, some related projects, and what’s in my head these days..

Apologies for the delay in making this update.

Things have been changing fast, especially since March 2018.

Main developments:

FoLaD continues to established increasingly strong foundations/plans across Leicestershire, as well as Leicester City, where two main venues (Haymarket Theatre and University of Leicester’s George Davies Centre), will feature events on 8th September, around which other venues will host smaller activities.

FoLaD is now well established with major events in Bournemouth, Mansfield, London, and many other locations in development. There are also small FoLaD events happening in Australia, USA, and quite significant events in India, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.

FoLaD foundations/connections/partnering in Asia are now very substantial…  where FoLaD aligns with broader needs/aims for peace-building, education, and societal and cultural rebuilding/development. A peace conference is planned in India towards the end of 2018, based on inspiration and young people, involving arts, music and role-models. This gives wonderful opportunity for international exchange, and direct relationships and fund-raising. Mental health is challenging anywhere, but even more so in areas of conflict and deep suffering and deprivation.  6,000 people die by suicide every year in the UK. In India the number of suicides is 100,000. Every year. And 20,000 of these suicides are farmers. Every year..

London FoLaD is being developed further with Greater London Authority/ThriveLDN (ThriveLDN is the mental health initiative of GLA). This is tremendously exciting.

The main Leicester events now have speakers/artists/performers/bands registered to participate, although there will always be space for more, one way or another, so if you want to be involved  – in Leicester, or anywhere, in any way that will help you – please register on the participate page. It’s quick simple and free.

Equine therapy is emerging as a major FoLaD wellness and healing strand alongside all art forms, music, countryside/gardens, talking/listening, community, exercise/dance/fitness/sport, etc.

This website will soon offer easy way to upload your own details (pic, location, biog, services, links, etc) as a partner/member/supporter of FoLaD.

Leicester’s fabulous Art House (9-10 June) will include a FoLaD exhibition, and will be raising funds to help FoLaD, thank you all very much. There is wonderful live music, tea, cake, conversation and healing friendships at Tart House, the amazing venue among the other Tart House exhibition houses. https://www.facebook.com/art.house.leicester/    https://www.facebook.com/TartHouseLeicester

FoLaD continues to connect and join up changemakers, helpers, therapists, activists and leaders everywhere, working towards new solutions and initiatives for preventing suicide, and all that this means in the mental health iceberg, especially supporting people threatened by suicide, and helping people bereaved by suicide.

Thank you all.

 

 

This event has now happened. Thank you to all the amazing people who took part, and helped, and attended.

We are still swamped with communications arising, and a bit of clearing up too, and will be posting pictures and videos, etc., asap.

Featuring: Freddie Ferrier, Yvette Greenway, Pete Hirst & Phil Seaman of Refuge, Daryl Kirkland, Michael Mansfield QC, David Parkin, Dr Raj Persaud, and Willie Thorne..

(Important note about Willie Thorne:  Willie Thorne ceased to be an ambassador for SOS in July 2018. He no longer works with FoLaD, and his past involvement with FoLaD should not be regarded as an endorsement of Willie Thorne. When engaging anyone to help in matters of charity, especially sensitive causes, it is wise to exercise caution, to do research, and seek references if in any doubt.)

This exciting event is 2pm-6pm Sun 25 March at the fabulous George Davies Centre, Lancaster Road, Leicester LE1 7RH (opposite Attenborough Arts Centre). Places limited to 300. Ticketing is FREE. Registration via the SOS website event page. This is a joint event: SOS ‘Silence of Suicide’ (Michael Mansfield QC & Yvette Greenway) / Festival of Life and Death / with University of Leicester (College of Life Sciences, Health Matters project).

Here are: A5 flyer – A4 flyer  –  A3 poster – and webgraphic – please share widely.

The SOS event is 2hrs in the main lecture theatre, starting at 2.30pm. This will be followed by a Festival of Life and Death ‘FoLaD’-style pop-up cafe with socialising, relaxing, talking, listening, free tea/coffee, cakes, nibbles, and live music.

Willie Thorne, SOS ambassador, will speak.  So too Dr Raj Persaud.

Michael Mansfield QC and Yvette Greenway will speak and show a video or two, and host discussions. The SOS events are really wonderful and offer help, support, information, healing, safe discussion and sharing feelings and ideas for people affected by suicide, and others wishing to and raise awareness about and prevent suicide. Much more info at:  https://www.sossilenceofsuicide.org/

Festival of Life and Death (‘FoLaD’) guests are Leicester’s amazing Daryl Kirkland, the wonderful musician/author David Parkin, and the inspirational Pete Hirst & Phil Seaman of Refuge (Pete is also founder of the Yellow Book and rethinkyourmind).

Made In Chelsea’s Freddie Ferrier is also making a special guest appearance.

There is table space for agencies and relevant providers to display leaflets and have a presence – to arrange: info@festivaloflifeanddeath.org  

Here’s the University of Leicester event page.

Thank you all.

Just outlined today a joint event FoLaD and SOS (Silence of Suicide – Yvette Greenway and Michael Mansfield’s charity) on Sunday 25th March, 2-6pm (exact times to be finalised).

Venue is the fabulous new George Davies Centre (opposite Attenborough Arts Centre), provided by University of Leicester’s Health Matters community project.

Willie Thorne, new SOS ambassador, will speak and attend with his wife Jill. Michael Mansfield and Yvette Greenway will speak and show a video or two, and host discussions.

The SOS events are really wonderful. https://www.sossilenceofsuicide.org/

Subject to confirmations FoLaD will also arrange speakers/performers.. Freddie Ferrier could come and play a few songs, subject to his filming schedule. Other guests too.

Again subject to space/rooms and numbers and agreement with University it would be good to organise a sort of pop-up cafe, tea coffee  and cakes vibe too, and opportunity for other wellness and mental health elements. If you want to be involved please email. If not this event then another one later in the year in the build-up to the Festival day on 8th September.

The 25th March event will be free and ticketed (so we have an idea of numbers) via the SOS website.

More details will follow.

Other news:

• After our formal invitation to Sir Peter Soulsby/City Council at the end of December, and then several other messages from members of the FoLaD organising team and supporters (thank you all), a meeting is now being arranged in early February with Leicester City Council (Public Health, Arts, Events senior people) to involve the City Council in Leicester FoLaD – so we can build the FoLaD Leicester hub event as helpfully and effectively as possible. This is obviously a crucial and very positive development.
• FoLaD now has excellent and growing connections with Leicester County Council too, Leicestershire Partnership Trust, Leicester Hospitals, and other agencies, notably Samaritans.
• The collaboration with Dr Marie Nugent’s Health Matters project and team at University of Leicester is immensely powerful.
• Venues and collaboration have also been established (today) for FoLaD to have a very meaningful and very exciting presence in (East) London. Many more London venues will follow.
• Bournemouth FoLaD is progressing, and I’m meeting with Erica Brown and her team on 22 Feb at their launch.
• Brisbane Australia is now (just this evening, or morning in Australia..) established – yoga and music – and we will build it from there with Davina Donovan (https://dhammaandco.com.au/). Thank you Davina, and thank you Dawn too.
• Work is beginning on developing partners/venues FoLaD events in New Zealand, Paris, and USA.
• I’ve also received personal support from Labour Shadow Health Secretary Jon Ashworth, and LibDem Shadow Baroness Judith Jolly. Green Party co-leader and Brighton MP Caroline Lucas has also sent a message of support.
• The pioneer of the successful and inspirational Detroit Zero Suicides Model, Dr Ed Coffey, has offered his support to FoLaD, and to speak at FoLaD 8th September 2018. The ZSM has been adopted and adapted internationally, including Merseycare in the UK. Please note that the term ‘Zero Suicide’ must be used with great care, and the reference to the Detroit ZS model here very definitely does not advocate the term’s adoption and use in public engagement, treatment or support services; on the contrary. In many situations the term ‘Zero Suicide’ could suggest that responsibility or blame exists with people who are suicidal. Also to many people the ZS term suggests ‘zero tolerance’, which is associated with crime prevention – extreme opposite and counter-productive to the philosophy and ideas of FoLaD and other modern helpful approaches to suicide and suicide bereavement.  

We now need more help to post on Twitter and Facebook please, and also volunteers to reach out nationally and internationally to suicide bereavement support groups, and similar support groups for people struggling with any aspect of mental or other life challenges, especially to develop connections/footholds in South Africa, New Zealand, and UK generally. Doing this is much more simple than it might seem – at the most basic level it’s simply informing people of the event and website, and explaining it’s global and open to everyone to do their own thing. If you want to do this (reach out to other groups) and would like a bit of guidance please ask me.

After the meeting with Leicester City Council (early Feb), the Leicester FoLaD will take a more tangible shape and clear roles and tasks will emerge.

The next Leicester FoLaD planning meeting is Monday 26th Feb, 7pm. If you’d like to be involved please email.

If you’d like to be added to the Whatsapp FoLaD group also please email, or ask someone who’s already in it.

FoLaD is open to all, and welcomes every idea and any support that’s offered.

Thanks for everyone’s help so far.

The Festival of Life and Death is global

Planning for Leicester’s Festival of Life and Death is well under way.

Bournemouth has also now begun.

Work is now beginning to establish the Festival in London. Please get in touch if you want to help with London.

Other cities will follow soon.

Australia looks like being the first country to establish a FoLaD event outside of the UK.  New Zealand is likely to be after this.

We are keen to start the Festival of Life and Death in the following places next, so if you can help with any of these this please do so.

• the major cities of USA and Canada
• France and especially Paris
• Italy
• Iceland
• India, perhaps Goa first, where there is initial interest
• South Africa

Besides these, you can establish your own Festival of Life and Death event anywhere.

No need to ask, just do it. Please use the branding if you wish. Do your own publicity as you wish.

Please follow the FoLaD principles as much as you can do, and adapt your own events to suit your own situations.

And tell us – let us know when you start an event – big or small – so we can help publicise and share, etc.

Please help to spread the word, and please give your feedback and suggestions.

Thank you.

Here’s the pdf of the fabulous FoLaD bookmarks, which can be printed and cut and used as information flyers.