22 June 2018

Written by Services Manager, Claire Robertson: This month we’ve been talking about how it’s important to have choice when it comes to end of life care and funeral plans.  There is always a lot to think about when somebody dies and making funeral arrangements can be stressful. All too often, people feel hurried into making […]

14 June 2018

Written by Director, Gareth Coles: Last week, there were lots of news headlines about the lack of transparency and ‘confusion’ in the funeral industry, particularly around pricing.  We couldn’t agree more with Senior Director of Markets at Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), Daniel Gordon, when he said to BBC News: “People can understandably be very […]

4 June 2018

Written by Director, Gareth Coles: If you’ve listened to the news over the weekend you may well have picked up a story that is also making newspaper headlines – about the price of funerals, the choice available to people, and the conduct of companies selling pre-paid funeral plans. In the last couple of days, Ministers […]

14 May 2018

Written by Director Gareth Coles: Today marks the start of Dying Matters Awareness Week – a week dedicated to encouraging and helping people to talk more openly about dying, death and bereavement, and to make plans for the end of life. As you might expect, this is a mission that is very close to my […]

30 April 2018

Written by Director, Gareth Coles: It’s not all that long ago when traditional Christian ceremonies were the norm for funerals in the UK, but with an increasingly multicultural society in modern Britain, funeral providers have adapted the services we provide. People from all walks of life, cultures and religions are proud to call Cardiff their […]

25 April 2018

Written by Office Manager, Claire Robertson: Over the last couple of weeks, Gareth has been talking about religious and faith funerals. During my time with Coles, we have commissioned personalised funeral tributes on behalf of religious families in the shape of: Crosses, Angels, Gates of Heaven, Open Books, Jesus Fish, Five Pointed Stars, Aum, Khanda, […]

18 April 2018

Written by Director, Gareth Coles: In my last blog, I talked about religious traditions in death, using my own belief system – Roman Catholicism – as an example. Today, I’d like to talk about a growing trend in funerals: Spirituality.At Coles, we’ve been arranging Humanist Funerals (non-religious) for a number of years now, but at […]

8 April 2018

Written by Director, Gareth Coles: For many of you reading this blog, the Bank Holiday last weekend will have been filled with egg hunts, too much chocolate – and perhaps an Easter Vigil. This time of year is, of course, important for many congregations in Cardiff as a period of celebration, reflection and prayer.Whether you celebrated […]

25 March 2018

Written by Director, Gareth Coles: The clocks have gone forward, the sun is out here in Cardiff – and traditionally, this is the time of year we think about spring-cleaning our homes, tidying up the garden and getting our affairs in order. Earlier this month I wrote about how, if you’re looking for a new beginning […]

19 March 2018

Written by Office Manager, Claire Robertson: The daffodil (narcissus) is without doubt, the most iconic flower in Wales – and it can be seen growing everywhere in swathes of brilliant yellow at this time of the year. Symbolising rebirth and new beginnings, which is why it’s sometimes known as the ‘Lent Lily’, narcissi are a […]

12 March 2018

Written by Director, Gareth Coles: I started planning my blogs about ‘New Beginnings’, our theme this month, the day Cardiff experienced a foot of snow on St David’s Day! Just a few days later, our beautiful new baby daughter, Sophia, finally joined us in time for us to have an extra special Mother’s Day this […]

28 February 2018

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 […]