James Pretlove will be reading from his memoir about the death and life of his mother, Seventy-Eight Thank Yous, followed by a Q and A session.
Focusing on the power of gratitude to transfigure the experience of grief and exploring whether every suicide really is what The Samaritans call, ‘the worst thing that could happen’, the intimate event will take place in the Universal Hall, with only 100 tickets available.
When Val Pretlove committed suicide in September 2018 at the age of 78, James, her youngest son, was surprised by thoughts of gratitude. It wasn’t long before he started writing these down, and there was soon one for every year of her life. Each thank you recounts a story from a life which was extraordinary in its ordinariness. Framing these Seventy-Eight Thank Yous is an exploration of what happens when someone takes their own life.
At every turn, James Pretlove’s memoir, about the death and life of his mother questions whether every suicide really is what The Samaritans call, ‘the worst thing that could happen’. The performance of readings at the Universal Hall, situated at The Park, Findhorn, will be positive and life-affirming, focusing on the power of gratitude to transfigure the experience of grief.
Writer James Pretlove was twice a finalist in the Vogue talent contest in the 1990s. During a month’s work experience there, he realised he couldn’t take the world of high fashion quite that seriously and launched and edited the cult satirical fashion magazine BLOW. In 1997, at the age of 28, Pretlove survived a life-threatening stroke. An unforeseen consequence of the brain haemorrhage was becoming bipolar and being detained under the Mental Health Act multiple times. In 2005, as part of his long road to recovery he helped set up and run London’s LGBT+ Scottish country dance club, The Gay Gordons. Discovering a passion for both the music and the dance, Pretlove’s connection with his Scottish heritage grew and in 2010, he moved to Scotland and joined the Findhorn Foundation Community. Here his time was spent cleaning toilets, talking to tomato plants and teaching Scottish country dancing!
This will be a unique and extraordinary performance, tackling and embracing a truly challenging topic.
To purchase your tickets go to: www.findhorn.org/events and support this amazing fundraiser. All proceeds will go towards the continuing work of the Findhorn Foundation.
