Primary school pupils in Cardiff are going into a funeral home to learn about death , dying and bereavement in an attempt to help them talk about subjects that are still taboo.
Coles Funeral Directors has launched the pioneering education programme for school children aged seven to 11, delivered at its funeral home in Birchgrove.
Pupils from local schools get first-hand experience of a modern funeral home and what happens when a loved one dies.
Topics covered include the language used around death and dying , coping with bereavement and grief, cultural celebrations of death and why talking about emotions matters.
More than 60 pupils from Birchgrove Primary School were the first to take part.
They toured the funeral home, saw and touched items such as coffins and urns, met a funeral director and asked questions.
Their teacher Ruth Davies, said: "At first, pupils were quite daunted at the thought of taking part as they were unsure what to expect.
“However, seeing how much more comfortable the pupils were with the topic of death during and after the visits to Coles, shows just how beneficial the visit was.
“Pupils are now less anxious when discussing the issue of death and what happens when a loved one passes away.
“The pupils were grateful for the topic being approached in a mature yet sensitive manner. They were encouraged to ask questions, which started an honest dialogue, not just during the visit, but also on the return to school and at home as well.”
Francesca Coles, from Cardiff-based Coles Funeral Directors, who had the idea for the programme, hopes the experience will help normalise death more.
“Death and dying are still seen as taboo subjects in the UK, but we believe that it’s absolutely critical to have these conversations and start them early," she added.
“Other cultures are already doing this well and we are at risk of falling behind.
“We can’t even begin to understand or process these experiences and emotions if we don’t talk about them first, and our hope through our education programme is to normalise these conversations from a young age and help children to understand why talking matters.
“That’s why we’ve worked to create a memorable experience, inviting the children into our funeral home and introducing them to a funeral director to answer any questions they may have about what happens after death.”
