Adults with learning disabilities film docu on death

The people who appear in the film all have learning disabilities

Adults with learning disabilities in Somerset have come together to write and star in a documentary about death.

Commissioned by NHS Somerset it will be played in Dying Matters Week from 6-12 May as a way to help people feel more comfortable talking about death.

In the film, called We Need To Talk About Death, interviewees talk openly about what death means to them, as well as how they would like to be remembered.

It features adults from My Day Care Services that provides care for people with learning disabilities and will now tour the county.

'Weird, invisible and strange'

The documentary is shot in 4k and focuses on the language and conversations people have around death, dying and grief.

The NHS said it hoped that by raising awareness it would result in more people with learning disabilities being able to handle difficult conversations around the subject.

One of the cast members, Melissa Foster, said death was something she was "unsure about" and the reason she took part in the film was to build her confidence in talking about the subject.

Ms Foster, 32, from Taunton in Somerset, said for her death was "weird, invisible and strange".

The documentary was filmed in 4K

Another cast member, Eric Walsh, who is also from Taunton, talks about his sister who had cancer.

Mr Walsh, 63, said he understood he would not see her anymore, and added that he reflects on the "importance of remembering the good times".

The documentary had its premiere in Taunton on 26 April and will be screened throughout Dying Matters Week.