About Us
Who we are
Compassionate Sheffield exists to improve people’s experiences of death, dying, loss and grief in Sheffield. This community-led programme acknowledges that death is a social and cultural event, that affects all of us. We’re funded by the NHS Integrated Care Board, Sheffield City Council and St Luke’s Hospice.
The programme began in 2021.
What we do
We collaborate with people, communities and organisations to create spaces where people feel safe and supported to explore and develop their knowledge of death, dying, loss and grief.
We work with communities to develop asset-based resources in partnership with local care agency services. This helps to bridge gaps between local citizens and Sheffield’s health and wellbeing services.
Our work is targeted to support individuals and communities who experience health and wellbeing inequalities in the city.
Why it matters
Death is part of life. It affects everyone.
Whether approaching the end of our own lives or supporting others, we can all benefit from growing confidence in how to navigate and support each other.
When people are dying only a small amount of their time is spent with healthcare professionals. More time is spent with family, friends, and other people within their communities. This is why we take a community development approach.
How we do it
The programme is led by the needs, experiences, and ambitions of those we work with. By responding to what matters most, we encourage a sense of ownership with the people we partner with.
Whether we are creating spaces for people to talk openly about life, loss and death, delivering workshops or creating resources, our role varies between being facilitators, collaborators and curators.
We take a community development approach to our work, using a model of social movement to support cultural change.
Community development: Encouraging confidence, building capability and unlocking capacity.
Social movement: Actively listening to the experiences of citizens and creating sustained impacts, resulting in collective ownership.
Cultural change: Challenging the over-medicalisation of death, by elevating the social, cultural and spiritual elements that influence our experiences of life, loss and death.
Find out more
Our Compassionate Sheffield 2024 Impact Report offers a quick glimpse into the programme’s highlights, including:
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Who we are – An overview of the Compassionate Sheffield Programme
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Our activities – Just some of the events, workshops and collaborations from 2024
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Resources – A recap of the asset-based resources we’ve developed
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What’s next? – Plans for the future.
Meet The Team
Sam Kyeremateng
Clinical Lead
- Consultant in palliative medicine since 2008
- Medical director at St Luke's
- Joint Clinical Lead of end of life care for North East Strategic Clinical Network
Eleanor Rutter
Programme Lead
-Assistant Director of Public Health for Sheffield
-Former elderly care doctor
-Single mother of three
Caroline Plenty
Community Development Worker
- Interested in how creativity and nature can support conversations around living and dying well
- Previously worked in both health and dementia care settings
- Masters in Public Health
Cally Bowman
Community Development Worker
- Passionate about reducing stigma surrounding mental health, neurodivergence and disability
- Experienced therapeutic counsellor
- Interested in finding new ways to create spaces where people feel safe to talk about grief and loss.
Adam Batty
Community Change Project Manager
- Experienced in community development, co-production and building collaborative partnerships
- Extensive background working in the voluntary sector in Sheffield
- Driven by work that helps create a fairer society.
Kirsty Christer
Communications and Events Officer
-Background in events and creative projects across design, health and the arts.
-Brings experience from design for health and wellbeing research.
-Interested in how creative approaches can support positive social impact.
Our key collaborators
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