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 […]

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 […]

17 February 2018

Written by Office Manager, Claire Robertson: It would be remiss of me not to talk about the rose this month – it is, after all, synonymous with love, Valentine’s Day, and the month of February. Perhaps you were lucky to receive a red rose last Wednesday? The rose was the clear choice for our Petal […]

22 January 2018

Written by Office Manager, Claire Robertson: Over the past couple of weeks, Gareth has been talking about resolutions, so today I’ve set myself the challenge to share a few ideas for flowers that are: in season during January; make beautiful funeral blooms; and tie in to this month’s theme! White Heather – whilst it might […]

15 January 2018

Written by Director, Gareth Coles: Following on from my blog on resolutions, I understand from some of the feedback that ‘getting organised’ is high on the agenda for lots of people this January! (It’s certainly high on our agenda as my wife and I get ready for the arrival of the newest addition to our […]

10 January 2018

Written by Director, Gareth Coles: This month, it probably comes as no surprise that we’re talking about ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ here at Coles, and everyone in the team has made at least one… have you?According to a recent survey reported in the Telegraph last week, 85% of the promises we make to ourselves in January […]

29 December 2017

Written by Director Gareth Coles: It’s with bittersweet reflection that I look back through 2017. After all, a very busy year for Coles Funeral Directors means that many of the families we’ve worked with will have been missing someone special during this Season’s festivities. We hope you’ve been remembering the good times…Throughout the year, a number of […]

13 December 2017

Written by Director Gareth Coles: In Wales, we closely associate December with Christmas, a favourite celebration in the Christian calendar. Yet December is a month of spiritually significant days for many religions. So as we’re half-way through Advent, a special time of reflection, remembrance and celebration for us here at Coles, we’d like to take the […]