Vision Redbridge Culture & Leisure were delighted to win an award for their innovative project, The Final Party, in the Social category at this year’s Edge Awards.

The Edge Awards highlight and reward good practice in innovative library and information projects. The Social category recognises work involving communities or target groups, engagement and making a difference.

The Final Party project has been delivered using the library as a trusted, relaxed space to discuss a subject often seen as taboo within our society. Over the last 18 months, the library service has been engaging residents of all ages in conversations around death and dying through a series of interactive events and activities that have enabled participants to reflect and talk about their experiences of death and their own end of life wishes. Redbridge Libraries have positioned themselves to become the UK’s first ‘Death Positive’ Library Service by ensuring that it offers a broad range of activities suitable for diverse communities, a well trained workforce and resources to compliment the programme. To date the project has engaged over 4,000 participants with a further 120,000 people experiencing the various arts installations on display across Redbridge libraries.

Events have included Death Cafes and Dying Matters and the spectacular Day of the Dead Festival, demonstrating the power of libraries to tackle such a difficult subject in such an effective way.