A POWERFUL documentary about the last days of four palliative care patients is being shown in Greenock.

The award winning film 'Island' will be shown for free at the Waterfront Cinema on Thursday afternoon.

Staff at Ardgowan Hospice have organized the screening with the hope that it will break some of the taboos surrounding death, dying and bereavement.

Joyce Sweeney, who is the supportive care lead for the Inside Out hospice project, said: "When you think about it, it's not a nice subject as it's about death, dying and bereavement.

"But from a hospice point of view it's to try and engage people in that conversation and open it up.

"The film itself looks at four different kinds of people and different kinds of death.

"It talks you through that journey of illness and the journey of them from the date of their diagnosis to the end phases of life to their dying moments.

"It's very powerful and very thought provoking."

Directed by Steven Eastwood, the film lays bare the dying process by following the stories of four people with terminal illnesses.

The documentary was made over 12 months with patients and staff at the Earl Mountbatten Hospice in Newport.

Joyce feels it is very important to talk about dying and death so after the film the audience will have a chance to ask the hospice staff questions.

She added: "It's a taboo subject so we are trying to normalise it and accept that.

"So this is about getting people in a room and having that discussion and being able to say that there's support measures out there through the hospice.

"We are a people hospice - it's about them.

"So people can come along and watch the film and ask questions."

Joyce also hopes it will also encourage people to speak to their family and friends about their dying wishes.

She said: "Ideally we would like to get people to talk about end of life and what their wishes are at a much earlier stage."

Nicola McGhee, who is a project co-ordinator at Inside Out Hospice, added: "With this project, the overall object is to make services more accessible so this is another part of that."

Tickets for the screening, which is on Thursday at 2pm (June 13), are free and to book online at https://ardgowanhospice.org.uk/event/island-screening or by emailing nicola.mcghee@ardhosp.co.uk