We only have one chance to have our dying wishes met, yet talking about dying is still taboo. New ComRes research found only one in five people (21%) have talked to someone about their end of life wishes and just 6% have written them down. For Dying Matters Awareness Week, we helped the Dying Matters Coalition get people, especially those aged 55 to 75 and GPs, talking openly about dying and taking practical steps such as writing a will and an advance care plan. We put the chief executive of the National Council for Palliative Care on air across a radio day of interviews. The broadcast PR campaign secured 18 items of radio coverage reaching 3.6 million listeners, including BBC Radio Merseyside, BBC Radio Solent and BBC Radio Lancashire.
Dying Matters Coalition wanted to get people, especially those aged 55 to 75 and GPs, talking openly about dying, death and end of life care.
The message
We only have one chance to have our dying wishes met. People should talk openly about dying and take practical steps such as writing a will and an advance care plan.
The angle
New ComRes research found talking about dying is still taboo in Britain: only one in five people (21%) have talked to someone about their end of life wishes and just 6% have written them down.
On air
The chief executive of the National Council for Palliative Care
The result
18 items of coverage reaching 3.6 million, including BBC Radio Merseyside, BBC Radio Solent, BBC Radio Lancashire.
More campaigns for Dying Matters Coalition
Dying Matters Coalition has come back to Relations Group for other broadcast PR campaigns:
Dying Matters Awareness Week is an annual UK week that encourages people to talk about dying, death and bereavement and to plan ahead. It grew out of the Dying Matters Coalition led by the National Council for Palliative Care, and it has been run by Hospice UK since the two charities merged in 2017. The 2026 week ran from 4 to 10 May. Stations plan their coverage of it in advance, which makes it a strong hook for a broadcast PR campaign.
Planning Dying Matters Awareness Week for 2027?
Dying Matters Awareness Week usually runs in early May; the 2027 dates have not yet been announced. Talk to the team about a broadcast PR campaign that gets your spokesperson on radio and TV.
