Handling death with compassion

ONE of the good things about being a local politician is that you get to meet inspiring people.

- Ron Beadle

So it is with Compassionate Gateshead, a group of palliative caregivers and volunteers who have come together with the support of the council to improve the experience of death. From February 12 to March 18 there will be events across the borough marking the first 'Festival of Compassion'

It is difficult to write about death without falling into cliché and odd that despite knowing these clichés, we handle death so badly. Even those whose deaths are expected tend not to die where they want to, and most people who care for the dying, or are grieving feel unsupported and are all too often lonely. It is particularly sad that children and young people feel this most acutely.

The movement for compassionate places is global with towns and cities across the world working to network local resources because not knowing where to go for help is a big part of the problem, but also to educate professionals, employers and the wider public. In Gateshead, where poverty drives early deaths, this is something that has particular resonance. The average life expectancy between richer and poorer parts of Gateshead is 13 years, a figure that should shame us.