Hospice and students 'break taboos' in podcast

A university and hospice charity have collaborated to launch a podcast, aiming to break the taboo around death and dying by discussing grief and hospice care.

Birmingham City University (BCU) students and St Giles Hospice in Staffordshire created the Dying to Tell You Something podcast, featuring guests including volunteers, fundraisers and the hospice's director of clinical services, Leon Ratcliffe.

He said it was important to have a space where talking about grief, dying and death could be explored without the stigma around it.

"Unfortunately, [at] some part in all of our lives, we have to question our own mortality or we lose a loved one, so this podcast is for everybody," he said.

Ratcliffe added: "The more patients and families open up around the subject, that often makes bereavement, death and dying somewhat easier.

"If there's a fear around accessing care, certainly hospice care, it can have a negative impact on how they access the care, so it's really important that we remove that fear around death and dying."

Students made the recordings at St Giles Hospice, in Whittington near Lichfield, last year, providing them with real-world experience of the sector.

St Giles Hospice provides specialist palliative and end-of-life care for people living with terminal illnesses across Staffordshire, North Birmingham and surrounding areas.

Meera Darji, senior lecturer in media production at BCU, said: "It's about giving the students an opportunity to create and work with real world projects, real people, real stories.

"We thought this would be a great collaboration, because it's not just about creating content, it's about having a purpose and impact."

Ratcliffe said collaborating with students to produce the podcast allowed for a "fresh approach" to discussing the topic.

"It wasn't scripted, we weren't aware of what they were going to ask, so it was just a natural conversation and I think that really strengthened it."

Episodes will be released from May through to October 2026 and be available on major audio streaming platforms.

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