Dying Matters, a week encouraging people to talk about and plan for their own death takes place at St Joseph Hospice in Hackney’s Mare Street next week.

Activities planned include will writing, funeral planning, the screening of a thought-provoking film and the premiere of a song all about the hospice in Mare Street.

A screening of Clapton-based artist Anton Mirto’s film, The Future of Death, will be screened on Tuesday May 14 at 3pm.

The work involves 40 volunteers, who, after a 10-day workshop confronting their fears surrounding death and dying, are then filmed lying down before being “buried” by another volunteer who symbolically scatters earth over them.

Ms Mirto wanted to get to the heart of people’s greatest fear in making the film.

“If we alienate death and dying then what kind of lives are we living?” she asked. “The one thing we cannot change in life is that we will die.”

The benefits of planning ahead for funerals will be discussed on Monday May 13 at 1.30pm in a workshop called Affordable, Meaningful Funerals.

Then on Thursday May 16, one of St Joseph’s chaplains, Imam Muhammad Karin will be host the launch of St Joseph’s new information service for Muslims.

A Living and Dying Well Roadshow takes place on Friday May 17 from 11am-2pm, where the City of London Sinfonia will perform a song about the hospice which has been written by patients, staff and volunteers at the hospice, led by composer John K Miles.

For the full programme see www.stjh.org.uk.