Written by Director, Gareth Coles:
When I started in the death care industry many moons ago – I made a decision. A commitment if you will, to the dying, the dead and the grieving, that I would do my very best to take care of them and ensure the funerals I planned would perfectly reflect their wishes, wants and needs…I began my career just as a number of the independent, family-run businesses here in Cardiff were being bought out by big chains. I could see the impact that this was having on the level of personalised service that families received – and at times, it broke my heart.
My family business, Coles Funeral Directors, is now one of only two independent funeral businesses in Cardiff. Our independence means we can offer our customers unrivalled choice – and we guide them through the process of choosing and planning a service at a pace that suits them. We don’t rush people, and we listen to their every need as they carry out their final act of love for the deceased. This is something that I’m incredibly proud of – and we have received some of the highest accolades in the death care industry for our care of the dead, the bereaved, and the grieving.
And when you have completed your final act of love, ours is far from over. We’re always implementing new ways to care for the bereaved and the grieving; for example, earlier this month we organised a ‘Things Left Unsaid’ White Rose Release, and we have a full calendar of Death Positive events planned for the rest of the year, including pre-arrangement and ‘planning’ seminars, workshops on how to arrange funerals, grief clinics, book reviews, memorial services and much, much more…
Is there anything more you think we could be doing? Are there death care or funeral service options that we don’t currently provide that perhaps we could? Please do drop me a line if you have any suggestions…