Coles Funeral Directors (Rumney)

Gareth Coles, the managing director and the inspirational heart of Coles Funeral Directors is the founder of the business, and is ably supported by his wife Francesca who is Head of Communications, and fellow funeral directors Steven Long and Angela Thomas. Alongside them is a team of exceptionally well trained and highly skilled people led by Claire Robertson, the office manager and Steve Dwyer, the team leader, all focused on ensuring that you receive the most professional and personal service possible. Gareth’s brother Alex is part of the business too, and there is a strong family feeling in the tight knit team that Gareth leads.

Coles Funeral Directors is one of the last remaining family run funeral directors in Cardiff, most of the other companies are owned by the large conglomerates, Co-operative Funeralcare or Dignity (although many retain their original names). However, it’s not simply being independently owned that makes this company exceptional. The drive and dedication and leadership that Gareth has poured into his business is evident and ongoing, and it is paying dividends in the rapidly growing reputation for excellence that this lovely funeral company is enjoying.

Gareth started a part time job driving as a chauffeur / bearer for a small carriage master’s business while he was at university, and this gave him the opportunity to see many funeral homes in the Cardiff area. He quickly realised that there was potential to offer families a much better service, and at the age of 25 he took the risky decision to buy an existing funeral home, with very limited funds. In the years since, he has transformed the business into one of the finest, most innovative and professional funeral directors we’ve seen, and Coles now have three funeral homes serving the people of Cardiff and the surrounding areas.

Gareth is an absolute perfectionist, and this shows in every aspect of the company; the care and support that is offered to every family, the calibre of the staff and the training that they receive, the ultra-modern, contemporary premises, the systems and processes that are in place behind the scenes that underpin the smooth running of the business and the forward-looking approach that ensures that Coles is always looking to improve their service to their community.

The premises of the old Rumney Funeral Home have been transformed into a bright, light and modern space that is totally unlike a traditional funeral home. Gareth intuitively understands the importance of calming colours, soft lighting and comfortable furnishings and wanted to ensure that clients felt welcomed and at ease when they enter this funeral home. Tastefully decorated and furnished, the small former shop has been renovated to make the best possible use of limited space, with an open reception area where Claire manages the day to day running of the business leading into a private arrangement room with comfortable chairs and large windows, partly frosted for privacy, spilling daylight into the room.

Beyond the reception area a small corridor leads to two chapels of rest, both decorated in the same modern, attractive style with large wooden doors that ensure privacy and quiet for families spending time with the person who has died. Further back there is a cold room and a small kitchen area leading to the rear entrance, outside which the staff clean and polish the cars inside and out before every funeral.

The second branch of Coles opened in Birchgrove in 2019, with a third branch opening in Llandaff in 2021. Both premises are beautifully furnished and decorated, offering clients attractive and stylish surroundings which immediately make you feel reassured and at ease. The detail and care that has gone into making the Coles premises so pleasant are not just ‘window dressing’, this attention is indicative of the values that Gareth has in everything he and his team do.

The premises have been carefully designed to maximise space for families, meaning that the operational side of the business is carried out elsewhere – a short distance away is a large unit that Gareth bought some years ago and invested a vast amount of money in to set it up as a state of the art centre to his business.

Looking ahead, he realised that having a central base to provide mortuary facilities along with administration, office space, staff training, storage and garaging for the vehicles would enable him to expand Coles Funeral Directors’ presence better. The premises where families come to discuss funeral arrangements and spend time with their relative in the chapel need to be local and easily accessible and not necessarily particularly large, whereas the operational space for a growing business needs to be able to expand as the numbers of families choosing to use them increases.

It is clear that Gareth has planned everything in the greatest detail and invested a great deal in getting it absolutely right. When he bought the unit, it was just a vast space with no facilities at all, now there are fully equipped offices, garaging and storage and a large, impeccably clean and tidy preparation area where the deceased are cared for. A big cold room provides additional space for the deceased to rest if they are staying in Coles’ care for a longer period of time, although generally once a person has been placed in their coffin they will be looked after back at the branch where the funeral was arranged, and from where the funeral will set out.

The staff practice their funeral roles here every day too – under the supervision of either Gareth or Steve, the team of pall bearers rehearse their exact moves daily, so that everything they do in the public eye has been practiced and polished. This level of detail is extraordinary, and it doesn’t go unnoticed by families – here’s a testimonial left on their Facebook page;

‘You expect a funeral company to offer a good, general and dignified service, but it was the small details which impressed us and calmed us as a family. James in particular shone with his thoughtful, warm actions and empathetic manner. They are a small company, but you certainly receive the personal touch, which means so much at a difficult time.’