Our cafes are, at present, held in a pub, so rather than coffee and cake we enjoy drinks (including hot and soft as well as alcoholic) with bar snacks. There is no need to book. A small donation is welcome but not essential.

We just want to create an environment where talking about death is natural and comfortable. Meetings are confidential, and people must respect one another’s disparate beliefs and avoid proselytizing. These are not grief support groups or end-of-life planning sessions, but rather casual forums for people who want to bat around personal thoughts. What is death like? Why do we fear it? How do our views of death inform the way we live? It's also not a debate platform. We don't want you to air all your views and pick each other apart. Competitive instincts are set aside.

As a result of this welcoming approach it is a frequent delight to see people's authenticity and honesty among strangers. There is laughter as tensions ease, differences are accepted and like minds are discovered. People usually leave feeling the warmth of shared humanity.

Those who have studied attitudes toward death say that for most people, such conversations are healthy; talking about death can ease people’s fears and the notion that death is taboo.

We live knowing that everything dies. Like the sun, it's a fact of life. And like the sun, we tend not to look right at it. This opportunity to look death in the face is worth taking.