Latest news with #bereaved
The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
I get paid £45 an hour with little-known side hustle – you don't need qualifications but you have to be upset on demand
YOU can now make up to £45 an hour doing a highly unusual job, and you don't even need a qualification. But before you go signing up, be warned: You will have to cry on demand. Nobody likes attending funerals but now you can sign up to become a professional mourner. This unsual side hustle doesn't involve filling out the crowd or standing mysteriously by the graveside, it's a lot more in depth. Professional mourners pretend to be friends and family of the deceased, assuming fake identities and convincing attending they're one of the bereaved. The practice has been commonplace in countries like China and is now starting to take off in Western countries. Professional practice Professional mourners take a series of steps to prepare for the unique role. Before attending the funeral, they carry out a full character study of the deceased. Often the family are able to help with this, helping the mourner establish a back story, which includes reasons why other funeral attendees have never met them before. And knowing the background of the deceased isn't enough for this job. Crying on cue To be a successful mourner, you will have to trigger sadness on demand. It can be difficult to work up tears over someone you've never met so often the mourners turn to Hollywood tear-jerkers or personal tragedies for their big moment. I earn cash by selling 'actual rubbish' on eBay - I flogged a freebie I found on the floor by a bin for £10, it's crazy However, mourners need to be careful to seem to genuine to avoid any suspicions. And while people rarely suspect professional actors have infiltrated the congregation, some are often wearing of opportunistic strangers running a scam for cash. The practice has been traced back to ancinet China, with "wailing women" also playing a role in Egypt. However, it has now spread worldwide, meaning mourners are required to know the basics about grieving processes across all religions. And according to Owen Vaughan, who works as a professional mourner in London, the families can also be very demanding about the performance. Demanding work He recalled a specific funeral he was hired to attend during an interview with Cracked. "I was warned not to give any condolences to his siblings (who didn't know he was hiring us), not to eat at the reception, to stay only in a certain area, and to basically sit and look sad for two hours," he said. But if the high demands and emotionally drainage don't sound to off-putting, this constantly evolving business could be a handy way to make money for any budding actors. And according to Fellowship Recruitment, you can make up to £45 an hour, depending on whose funeral it is and the role that they are playing. Professional mourners, officially known as moirologists, have been in practice for well over 2,000 years, with the number of UK bookings going up 50% in the past year. 2
Daily Mail
02-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
PETER HITCHENS: I no longer recognise this country. This is the exact moment we gave in to madness
For several days now I have been living in a country I do not recognise. Everywhere I turn it is assumed – especially on TV and radio – that I ought to be fiercely interested in women's football and in the death of someone called Ozzy Osbourne. I am not. I am of course sorry for the loss of the Osbourne family, as I am for all bereaved persons. But I had never knowingly listened to his, er, work before he died. And now I have been more or less forced to do so, I will try never to listen to it again.
Yahoo
31-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
6 Thoughtful Ways to Help a Grieving Family
If you know a grieving family that's experienced a loss, your heart is probably breaking for them. For all the wishes in the world, there's nothing you can do to take their pain away. But when a family you know is dealing with grief and you don't know what to do next, fall back on these helpful ideas (and avoid making a few mistakes along the way). When someone you love experiences a loss, one of the worst feelings is wanting to do something but not knowing what you can. Most often, people thrum with the urge to do something to help their people out. While you can't take their hurt away, you can still help them by showing up and offering your support in these heartfelt ways. 1. Continue Showing Up After the Funeral You don't tie up grief in a little bow once you've laid the dead to rest. It persists, slamming into you in waves for months and years. And while it does get easier with time, the first few months in the aftermath can be the hardest. So often, once the casket's closed, people stop showing up. One way you can be a supportive friend is to continue showing up week after week. When the casseroles are all eaten and the condolence cards stop coming in the mail, your mere presence will mean so much more. Whether it's to fold laundry, make dinner together, or have a laugh with, just keep showing up. 2. Offer to Do the Dirty Work When someone loses a person, a lot of people want to just bake their perfunctory casserole, give their condolences, and wipe their hands clean. Instead of baking another casserole for the family, offer to do the dirty work. Grab the toilet brushes and clean their bathrooms, make sure the trash gets taken out, and help the kids actually finish their homework. Use your energy to help fill their energy cup back up. Quick Tip Creating a personalized sympathy care package for the grieving family is another way to show you care in a unique way and send a message you're thinking about their needs. 3. Be Physically Comforting Physical comfort is such an easy thing to give, but it's not always the first thing that comes to mind. And sure, not everyone wants a long and lingering hug, but physical touch can be really healing, especially for youngsters who don't quite understand what's going on. So, be the shoulder to cry on, wipe tears off of people's faces, grip their shoulders, and press their heads to your chest. Root them in the present by enveloping them in their love. Grief can make you feel like you're going to float away, and you can be the thing tethering them down. Quick Tip You know your friend or loved one best, so if you don't feel like physical comfort will be what they need, trust your intuition and try another way to show the family support. 4. Bring Some Levity By Taking Them Out When you're grieving, it can be hard to pull yourself out of that overwhelming sadness. But when you're on the other side, you can be the push a person or family needs to get out of their rut. Laughter can be good medicine — and a nature walk through the park or a spontaneous ice cream break might be the boost everyone needs to get through the day. 5. Be Slow to Speak and Quick to Listen Everyone processes grief differently; no two people in a family are going to react the same way. But you won't be able to pick up on the things that each person needs if you're not being a good listener. So, be slow to speak your comforting words and instead be quick to listen to the stories, memories, or requests they're sharing with you. Quick Tip Kids and even adults can sometimes have a hard time putting their grief into words, so trying different ways to help them cope, like doing a grief art activity or creating a memory jar together, could also help. 6. Take the Kids for a Night or Two If your family friends have children (especially young children), offer to watch the kids for a night or two. It's hard enough grieving a loss, but trying to do so behind closed doors while keeping some semblance of normalcy around the house for the kids can be a nightmare. Give your parent friends the space to really dive into their grief and process it by being a safe space for their kids to go to. Most people don't intend to hurt the people they love, but sometimes you can step on some toes. In a period of grieving, emotions are so heightened that it's easy for good intentions to go south. Consider avoiding these things when you're helping the grieving families you love most. 1. Don't Push Your Presence On Them Grieving is a tumultuous time, and it pushes people towards isolation. Compound that with the demands of keeping a family together, and it can feel impossible to overcome. Don't make your friends overexert themselves just to keep you company. Instead, check-in and make sure they have the bandwidth to visit with you. 2. Don't Assume You Know What They Need It's a good idea to walk through life with the mantra that you don't ever know what someone actually needs, but it's especially important not to assume that when someone's grieving. What worked for you won't necessarily work for them. Let them come to you with what they need, and be open to following through with whatever that is — even if you disagree. 3. Don't Try to Rationalize Their Loss The last thing someone wants to hear when they've lost someone close is your own personal or spiritual way of justifying their death. Although it might be well-intentioned, it's probably not going to help them heal and might only make them hurt more. When it comes to loss, everyone is equally clueless about what to do. Grieving is complex and challenging, and loved ones don't always know how to help. But what matters is that you put in the effort to try. If you show up with open arms and a willingness to be there, the family will feel all the love and support you're trying to give, even if you bungle it up on occasion. Solve the daily Crossword
The Independent
19-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Assisted dying Bill MP confident Parliament will vote yes
Kim Leadbeater said she is confident MPs will back her assisted dying Bill in Friday's crucial vote, as she warned it could be a decade before the issue is put to Parliament again should it fail to pass. The Labour MP was joined by bereaved and terminally ill people on the eve of the vote, as they recounted the emotional toll the current law has had on them and their loved ones and pleaded for change. Since introducing her Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in Parliament last year, Ms Leadbeater has argued dying people must be given choice at the end of their lives, but opponents of her Bill have warned it fails to guarantee protections for society's most vulnerable. Making her case for a change in the law, Ms Leadbeater said: 'We have the most robust piece of legislation in the world in front of us tomorrow, and I know that many colleagues have engaged very closely with the legislation and will make their decision based on those facts and that evidence, and that cannot be disputed. 'But we need to do something, and we need to do it quickly.' A YouGov poll of 2,003 adults in Great Britain, surveyed last month and published on Thursday, suggested public support for the Bill remains high at 73% – unchanged from November. The proportion of people who feel assisted dying should be legal in principle has risen slightly, to 75% from 73% in November. Friday will be the first time the Bill has been debated and voted on in its entirety since last year's historic yes vote, when MPs supported the principle of assisted dying for England and Wales by a majority of 55. MPs are entitled to have a free vote on the Bill, meaning they decide according to their conscience rather than along party lines. The relatively narrow majority means every vote will count on Friday, to secure the Bill's passage to the House of Lords for further debate and voting. As an example, the Bill would fall if 28 MPs switched directly from voting yes to no, but only if all other MPs voted exactly the same way as they did in November, including those who abstained. Asked how she is feeling ahead of the vote, Ms Leadbeater acknowledged there could be some change in the numbers, but insisted she is still confident the Bill will pass the third reading stage and move through to the Lords. She told reporters on Thursday: 'There might be some small movement in the middle, some people might maybe change their mind one way, others will change their mind the other way but fundamentally I don't anticipate that that majority would be heavily eroded so I do feel confident we can get through tomorrow successfully.' Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has indicated he will continue to back the Bill, as he did last year, saying earlier this week that his 'position is long-standing and well-known' on assisted dying. Health Secretary Wes Streeting, while describing Ms Leadbeater's work on the proposed legislation as 'extremely helpful', confirmed in April that he still intended to vote against it. Ms Leadbeater warned: 'If we don't pass this law tomorrow, it could be another decade before this issue is brought back to Parliament. 'It's 10 years since we last had a vote, 2015, if we leave it now, I worry it could be a heck of a long time and in that time how many more stories (of suffering) will we hear?' Ms Leadbeater was joined for the press briefing by surgeon, barrister and MP Neil Shastri-Hurst and former lord chancellor Lord Charlie Falconer. Also present were terminally ill patients Sophie Blake, a single mother with terminal breast cancer, and Pamela Fisher, a Church of England lay preacher. While supporters of the Bill say it is coming back to the Commons with better safeguards after more than 90 hours of parliamentary time spent on it to date, opponents claim the process has been rushed and that changes to the Bill mean it is now weaker than it was when first introduced. Some Labour MPs opposed to the Bill wrote to Commons leader Lucy Powell earlier this week to ask for more time, but she confirmed to Parliament on Thursday that timing is a matter for the House to decide because it is not a piece of Government legislation. Ms Leadbeater said she felt the need to 'strongly push back' on the accusation of the legislation being rushed. She said: 'This is not being rushed through, this is not a quick thing that's happened overnight, it has gone through hours and hours and hours of scrutiny.' She added she also finds it 'difficult' to accept that the process itself for someone to have their assisted dying application approved is 'quite lengthy', but said this is necessary because of the 'thorough' safeguards. The proposed legislation would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist. Significant changes since it succeeded in the initial vote in Parliament include the replacement of a High Court safeguard with the expert panels, and a doubling of the implementation period to a maximum of four years for an assisted dying service to be in place should the Bill pass into law. Academic and disability campaigner Miro Griffiths has sent an open letter to MPs asking them not to endorse the 'perilous piece of legislation' even if they support assisted dying in principle. He wrote: 'I would ask you to devote your energy to improving ethical and progressive forms of support: blanket suicide prevention, palliative care, and measures that create a more just and inclusive society for disabled people. This is the better way forward.'
