Cardiff-based Coles Funeral Directors recently claimed two SAIF Golden Charter awards, seeing the company named ‘Funeral Planner of the Year’ in the South Wales region and being nationally recognised as the ‘Family Business of the Year’ at this year’s ceremony.
The awards, held on Saturday 21 September at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London, were hosted by Gyles Brandreth and saw independent funeral directors across the UK come together to celebrate industry-wide successes. Nominated for four awards in total, Coles was up against tough competition including A.B. Walker and Wathall’s and was recognised for its incredible achievements over the past 12 months, including its launch of ‘The Hub’, a support centre for those coping with grief or coming to terms with death.
Through ‘The Hub’, Gareth and the team hope to normalise the conversation around death for those of all ages, approaching this with honesty, integrity and openness. With the help of books and the creation of a kid’s corner, it works to encourage children to talk about death, dying and the emotional wellbeing that comes with it. This passion for working with children has recently led Gareth and his wife Francesca to launch an educational programme which sees them visit primary schools in the South Wales area, inviting them to visit the Coles funeral home to freely discuss death.
Speaking of the awards, Gareth Coles, director of Coles Funeral Directors, says: “We are over the moon to be recognised at the Golden Charter awards. With so many talented, independent family-run businesses across the UK in attendance that have been operating for generations, we were thrilled to be amongst them and crowned the winners of the Family Business of the Year category. We’re very proud of the service we offer to the local community and we pour our hearts and souls into everything that we do and it’s fantastic to see that recognised. We believe that the commitment and the attention to detail that we put in our work is what makes us stand out.”
As one of the last remaining family-run funeral directors in Cardiff, the business is renowned for its innovative and positive approach to death. Gareth and his wife, Francesca Coles, are true trailblazers in the funeral industry. Being strongly promoters of a ‘Death Positive’ message, the team believe that a funeral should be seen a celebration of life, an opportunity to remember the loved ones and send a final ‘farewell. This ideology is why it continues to be recognised not only in industry awards, but in the local community too.
Gareth continues: “We treat our customers as family and we always work to bring our personal touch to the service that we provide. Our motto is ‘no detail is too small’ and our independence gives us the freedom to make this a reality with the flexibility to offer a bespoke service to the families we work with. The team at Coles works tirelessly to ensure that the funerals we organise are a true reflection of our customers’ wishes, keeping our prices fair while doing so, making sure we’re accessible to the wider community in South Wales. Winning these awards is a true testament to all the work and the meticulous attention our whole team put in our service and we couldn’t be more thrilled.”
