Bristol Centre for Grief Research & Engagement

We're delighted to announce three more seminars in our free online series showcasing leading voices in grief research to connect Bristol to a global conversation about grief and loss.

⭐ Prof. Matthew Ratcliffe (Department of Philosophy, University of York UK), 'The unacknowledged aspects of grief' – 23 June 2026, 1pm
⭐ Prof. Carlo Leget (Universiteit voor Humanistiek) and Dr Mai-Britt Guldin (Aarhus University), 'Loss, grief and existential awareness – An integrative approach' – 17 September 2026, 1pm
⭐ Prof. Kathleen Higgins (The University of Texas at Austin), 'Aesthetic approaches to healing in grief' – 11th November 2026, 4pm

They'll follow three seminars already announced for the first half of 2026:
⭐ Dr Lesel Dawson (University of Bristol) , 'The art of grief: Creativity, loss and the imagination' – 15 January 2026, 1pm
⭐ Prof. Jessica Jacobson (Birkbeck, University of London), 'Voicing loss: Expectations and experiences of coroners' inquests' – 3 March 2026, 1pm
⭐ Dr Emily Harrop (Cardiff University), 'Understanding and optimising the benefits of bereavement support' – 6 May 2026, 1pm

Check out our website for more info and to register: https://griefcentre.bristol.ac.uk/events

What a day...! Thank you to everyone who joined us for the London launch of the Bristol Centre for Grief Research & Engagement, kindly hosted by Christine Jardine MP at the House of Commons. It was wonderful to see so many collaborators (and potential collaborators!) in the room, from grief experts, therapists, doctors and charity leaders to academics, MPs, artists and campaigners. We truly believe that our work together is greater than the sum of its parts – and we’re so grateful to be part of such a passionate and inspiring community.

Thanks especially to our speakers PVC University of Bristol Guy Poppy, Julia Samuel MBE, Dr Alison Penny MBE (Childhood Bereavement Network; National Bereavement Alliance), Prof. Patrick Vernon OBE, and Hannah Jardine Youell who powerfully captured how grief not only lives in our bodies, minds, and imaginations, but is also shaped by policy, economics, and culture. Three million people are bereaved each year in the UK and too many do not receive the support they should. The event celebrated what has been achieved in this area - and reaffirmed the need to transform how society responds to grief, to foster compassion and connection when it matters most.

At the Bristol Grief Centre we are committed to continuing this important work — together.

Good Grief Festival; Dr Kathryn Mannix; David Kessler: Mary-Frances O'Connor; The Good Grief Trust; Shapes of Grief Training Programme; The Good Grief Project; Mandy Gosling Psychotherapy & ABC Grief

Photo credit: Carmen Valino

🩺 GPs and primary care staff can make all the difference when you're bereaved -- and yet there is very little grief support training that's specific to the challenges of primary care. This week is #NationalGriefAwarenessWeek and we've launched a brand new course to help GPs do what they're doing but better and with more confidence. Developed with GPs and GP trainers, the course features seven live webinars with leading grief experts including Julia Samuel MBE, Mary-Frances O'Connor, and Andy Langford from Cruse Bereavement Support. It really is a trailblazing initiative. 📍Online 🎟️ Early bird rate of £89 available until 6 January 📅 Starts 28 January 2026 🔗Sign up through our website: https://www.goodgrieffest.com/the-grief-academy #NGAW2025 #GrowingWithGrief The Good Grief Trust Royal College of General Practitioners NHS Education for Scotland Bristol Centre for Grief Research & Engagement

Did you catch Sabrina Bajwah and Catriona R Mayland's fascinating seminar about their ground-breaking Equitable Bereavement Care study? The recording is now on our website!

And you can sign up to learn more about grief in ethnically diverse communities at a free Good Grief Festival panel next Thursday at 7pm.

Sabrina and Catriona will be joined by Madhuri Bedi, Sands - baby loss charity Outreach Coordinator for South Asian Communities; Nicola Dias, National Clinical Governance Lead for Cruse Bereavement Support; and Hannah Youell, Inclusive Wellbeing, Mental Health and Communication Trainer. They'll discuss how grief is experienced in diverse cultural, ethnic and religious communities and what support could be helpful. Attendees will also watch a brand new short film about the study findings.

Register here:

Experiences of Grief in Ethnically Diverse Communities: Panel Discussion and Film Launch at Online Tickets are now available for Experiences of Grief in Ethnically Diverse Communities: Panel Discussion and Film Launch at Online, Online on Thursday 4th December 2025. Click the link for further information and to secure your tickets now!

Bereavement services often don't reach people from ethnically diverse communities. In the third seminar of our series, Dr Sabrina Bajwah and Dr Catriona Mayland will share insights from the NIHR-funded study Equitable Bereavement Care for All, which explored why these communities are underserved and ways to improve support. They will focus on their participatory methods and the importance of cultural safety, as well as exploring some of the findings.

Thursday, 20 November
1-2pm
Online

Register here: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/goodgrieffest/uob-grief-seminars-dr-s-bajwah-dr-c-mayland-equitable-bereavement-care-for-all-ethnicities/e-gpmpoe

When her mother died while she was at university, Melanie Wolff felt like she was hit by a ‘hurricane’ of frustration, pain and feelings she struggled to name. Bereaved university students can find it difficult to manage their grief alongside academic and social pressures, especially if living away from home for the first time. There are approximately 280,000 bereaved students in the UK every year, so what are the best ways to support grieving students and reduce their sense of isolation?

This panel will explore the challenges of grieving at university – and consider ways to improve support for students and staff. It's led by Anna May, who founded the Student Grief Network after the deaths of her brother and dad and is now Head of Grief Programmes with Kaplan International. She will be joined by Nivaetha D., a recent psychology graduate who wrote her dissertation on the experiences of bereaved international students; and Theo Silberston, founder of Life After, a podcast sharing the stories of young adult grievers. Both Nivaetha and Theo experienced loss while studying at university.

Held just before Children's Grief Awareness Week, the panel will also launch the Higher Education Bereavement Framework, a brand-new tool to improve bereavement support developed by Anna May in collaboration with university students and staff.

Thursday 13 November
12-1pm
Online

Register here: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/goodgrieffest/loss-and-learning-navigating-grief-at-university/e-ogxlev

Image credit: Jasmine Potter

In the second seminar of our series, Dr Molly Conisbee from the Centre for Death and Society (CDAS)at the University of Bath gave us a whistle-stop tour of attitudes to grief and loss from pre-Reformation England to the present day.

If you missed it (or want to watch again!), the recording is now available on our website -- where you can also view Molly's beautiful slides.

https://griefcentre.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/events

Our next seminar is happening next Wednesday (10 September)! Sign up now to hear Dr Molly Conisbee from the Centre for Death and Society (CDAS) at the University of Bath explore how her research into grief through history has influenced her counselling work. We can't wait!

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/goodgrieffest/uob-grief-seminars-dr-molly-conisbee-what-can-we-learn-from-history-about-grief-loss-bereavement/e-mqlgbx

Good Grief Festival

The first seminar of our new series is now available on YouTube! Thanks again to Dr Christy Denckla from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University for a fascinating discussion exploring a public health perspective on grief & bereavement with Prof Lucy Selman.

Visit our website to watch Christy's talk and sign up to join us for future seminars

We're very excited for the first seminar in our brand new series in partnership with Good Grief Festival!

Join us at 2pm BST on Weds (30th July) to hear Dr Christy Denckla from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University discuss a public health perspective on grief and bereavement.

Register here (it's free!) https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/goodgrieffest/uob-grief-seminars-dr-christy-denckla-a-public-health-perspective-on-grief-bereavement/e-mqrzmj