Bristol Met students raise over £300 for Cruse Bereavement

Pic: Elio Cole (Director) with Kirra Burchill. 

Students from Year 10 at Bristol Metropolitan Academy have been praised for their powerful and moving performance of the play Eulogy, raising more than £300 for their chosen charity, Cruse Bereavement Support.

The production explored themes of grief, memory and closure through a thought-provoking storyline centred on Philip, a grieving middle-aged man who is invited to take part in a memorial service enhanced by experimental technology. Philip was portrayed by Eric Goodman, with Elio Cole taking on the role of director.

In the play, Philip is guided through the process by a digital ‘Eulogy Guide’, Kelly, played by Kirra and Isa. The character appears as an avatar and asks Philip to wear a neural interface device designed to access, extract and process his memories and emotional connections with his late partner, Carol. Carol, now deceased, was played by Erin Jeffery and Willow Slade.

The technology aims to create a living, interactive representation of Carol to help preserve her legacy and provide emotional closure. However, as the process unfolds, Philip is forced to confront difficult truths, past mistakes and new interpretations of shared memories.

The production was supported by a dedicated team of extras and crew from Years 8, 9, 10 and 11, highlighting the collaborative spirit within the academy’s drama community.

The performance also had a meaningful impact beyond the stage, with the cast receiving a heartfelt letter of appreciation from Cruse Bereavement Support thanking them for their fundraising efforts.

Cruse Bereavement Support is the leading UK charity providing free, confidential support, counselling, and information to anyone grieving the death of someone.

Programme Leader Michelle Vince praised the students for their work and the response from audiences.

She said: “The audiences were very moved, some to tears, as they really resonated with the themes and characters.

“As our productions are usually light-hearted, it was refreshing to perform a very mature, challenging and poignant piece.

“It was very special to have a Year 10 student direct it.”