Good Grief Weston

The inaugural Good Grief Weston festival launched in May 2023, aiming to open up conversations around death and bereavement. Death, like birth, is one of the few universally shared experiences, yet many of us feel scared to face mortality, struggle with grief alone, or worry about how to support bereaved friends and family.

Our creative and diverse festival aimed to give that elephant in the room a friendly prod! Through a range of workshops, performances and other grassroot community activities, we talked openly and honestly about death and loss – sometimes with humour, always with compassion.

Over the week, the festival spotlighted the wonderful organisations and groups already doing great work in Weston – and helped kickstart a few more (from a synchronised swimming squad to a men’s cooking club!). These events stimulated different ways of thinking and provided opportunities for conversation and community spirit that lasted through the festival and beyond.

Involving multiple venues, partners and art forms, we hope everyone found something in the programme to try.

Grief = Love, and there is certainly plenty of love to be found in Weston to help you through life’s most challenging moments.

Produced by Super Culture in collaboration with the University of Bristol and the Weston-super-Mare Community Network

The Full Programme

At a Glance

Good Grief Weston is funded by UKRI and AHRC and produced by Culture Weston (now Super Culture) and Bristol University as part of a collaborative project focused on reducing inequities in end-of-life care and bereavement and tackling social isolation and loneliness. To find out more and join the community network, please visit wsmcommunity.blogs.bristol.ac.uk