Why did a telephone box appear in Brighton for 24 hours?

The telephone box on Brighton seafront gave bereaved people a safe space to be honest with all their emotions, in response to new research from Sue Ryder.

The research found:

Three quarters of bereaved people say that their emotions around grief make them feel guilty on a weekly basis.

More than two thirds of people have been scared or embarrassed to talk about their emotions whilst grieving.

Almost half of people believe their feelings towards grief are 'messy and complicated'.

A third of people feel more comfortable communicating their feelings verbally, either over the phone, via voice note or video call. For this reason, on March 22-23, the ‘To Be Honest’ telephone box appeared on The Deck at Brighton seafront.

People could pick up the phone and say their true feelings about their grief without judgement. People were then given an opportunity to have the message sent to them, so they can forward it onto their support network so they can let them know how they are really feeling. Once inside, people could also listen to a message of support, including signposts to Sue Ryder’s free Online Bereavement Support.

Bianca Neumann, head of bereavement at Sue Ryder, said: “When someone close to you dies, you may feel deep emotional pain, shock, anger, deep sadness, guilt, numbness, anxiety, helplessness and many other emotions.

“There’s no ‘right’ or ‘normal’ way to grieve and integrating loss into our lives takes longer for some people than others. You might find yourself swinging between different moods, feelings or crying suddenly when you don’t expect it. You may be so overwhelmed that you feel numb. Learning to live alongside grief can take a long time, and during that time you will likely have ups and downs.

“Our new research highlights how it can be hard to talk about it to those around you. Finding someone to open up to, like a trusted friend, family member, teacher, colleague, support group or online community, can really help.

“Try to find people you can be honest with about how you’re feeling, and who respond in ways that you find helpful. Remember that it’s OK to feel however you are feeling and you shouldn’t punish yourself if you feel that your emotions aren’t the ‘common’ feelings that we see so much of in the media.”

More local news