The Individual Funeral Company Ltd

The Individual Funeral Company Ltd We believe in helping clients make funeral arrangements as bespoke and individual as you would like. All FB posts, Tweets and pictures are © of Lucy Coulbert

We always work extremely hard and over weekends and always deep into the evening. Providing 24 hour support to our clien...
25/07/2025

We always work extremely hard and over weekends and always deep into the evening.
Providing 24 hour support to our clients has always been the thing that drove Lucy to start her own company.

That support always continues no matter where we happen to be at that particular moment.

Today, Lucy drove down to a gorgeous South Devon to spend the day with her grandmother who was celebrating her 95th birthday…..and yes, she was still replying to emails from clients while wading in the sea!

Our family knows exactly what it is like to be in the position of our clients and actively encourage us to take our time to talk to someone on the phone or reply to an email.

When someone is a client of ours, they get around the clock access to us because in Oxford, Devon or Scotland - no matter where we are, we’re always walking right beside you every step of the way.

A lot of people would think the word ‘bespoke’ just means expensive. That’s not what it means to us though.Bespoke means...
27/06/2025

A lot of people would think the word ‘bespoke’ just means expensive.
That’s not what it means to us though.

Bespoke means choice.
Bespoke means simple or really intricate.
Bespoke means only charging for what you want.

From the highly elaborate to the beautifully simple funeral services, that is what bespoke is for us.

Chapel services at an Oxford University chapel to a funeral held in your garden.
Funeral services held in a church to one at a natural burial ground.
Being in the UK to going abroad and from having weeks to plan to a matter of hours to make a service happen.

We believe in putting our clients firmly in control and this is why we specialise in bespoke funeral arrangements which covers anything and everything you could possibly think of.

Lucy, supported by her excellent team, constantly and consistently manages to arrange what other companies may seem impossible.
But this is exactly where she thrives.

While our clients can give us any request at any time, Lucy seems to work effortlessly to bring a families ideas for the perfect funeral service together to create something perfect and meaningful.

We don’t know how she makes everything look so easy and so calm even under the most demanding of times.

But that’s just what we do. To create bespoke services, however that looks to a client, in a really calm, thoughtful and considered way while giving people her total and undivided attention from the second she answers the phone to way after a funeral service has happened.

It’s this bespoke service and calm confidence which has led us to work for some extraordinary clients who demand perfection - no matter what a funeral service looks like to them.

As Lucy always says - ‘I accept nothing less than perfection,’ and we’re sure this is the reason our clients always recommend our services to others.

After the unexpected deaths of our most beloved office dogs, Joplin & Bunny, we realised we couldn’t live without a dog ...
20/06/2025

After the unexpected deaths of our most beloved office dogs, Joplin & Bunny, we realised we couldn’t live without a dog in our house.

We found Gloria at The Dogs Trust in Liverpool being loved and cared for after being abused and abandoned.

Two weeks ago she made the journey to Oxfordshire to her forever home with us.

She may never come to our office because she is terrified of most things and especially new people but you never know. She’s exceeded every expectation we had and is settling in to the working from home routine on the sofa instead.

We didn’t really understand that grief isn’t just about humans until Joplin & Bunny left us. To mourn a beloved pet became pretty overwhelming at times and that huge space that appeared when they weren’t with us.
They can never be replaced and will always be with us.

So, welcome to the pack Gloria. We’ll all heal together ❤️

The Good Funeral Guide has launched a project to understand more about the recent rise in the numbers of people choosing...
18/06/2025

The Good Funeral Guide has launched a project to understand more about the recent rise in the numbers of people choosing direct cremation.

They have designed a questionnaire for anyone who has experienced someone dying and then having a direct cremation.

If you have done so, we would really appreciate your input.

https://forms.gle/3zP8Uf1m37HBRT4RA

We love being asked to arrange church services and we’ve been asked to go to so many different ones around the country.F...
06/06/2025

We love being asked to arrange church services and we’ve been asked to go to so many different ones around the country.

From the gorgeous stained glass, the beautiful sound of an organ to the comfort in the familiarity of a religious service - it is just really special.

While we are specialists in highly bespoke funeral services, many of our clients wanting a more traditional type funeral will often turn to us because of the highly personal nature of how we work on behalf of our clients.

We’re in touch as much or as little as a client needs.
Responding to emails and phone calls deep into the night and over weekends. Keeping in touch to give them updates on where we are up to with arrangements. Supporting them to do things themselves.

Not everything we DO is different but HOW we do them is.

Regardless of what type of funeral someone wants to arrange with us, our total and unequivocal support to our clients remains the same.

While we don’t think we should have to post something like this in 2025, it is important.June is Pride month all over th...
02/06/2025

While we don’t think we should have to post something like this in 2025, it is important.

June is Pride month all over the world and we want all of our clients to feel comfortable and safe with us.

We are deeply and personally committed to the LGBTQIA+ community because, well, why wouldn’t we be?
The owner of The Individual Funeral Company just happens to be part of that community and we employ a diverse range of people to help us on a daily basis.

You never have to explain, be careful about wording or double think anything at all with us.
We’re just here to help and without any awkwardness.

We genuinely believe in treating everyone as individuals - that’s exactly where the name of our company came from.

To speak with a bespoke undertaker who just gets it or if you would like a recommendation for an LGBTQIA+ friendly funeral director in your area, you can call any time of the day or night on 01865 714130.

🌈

We absolutely love going to natural burial grounds and over the years we’ve become real experts at arranging eco friendl...
29/05/2025

We absolutely love going to natural burial grounds and over the years we’ve become real experts at arranging eco friendly funerals.

From the coffins we recommend to how floral arrangements are made, we’ve created the perfect list of people and companies we work with.

Sadly, there is a lot of ‘greenwashing’ in funeral products but Lucy has gone to great lengths to w**d them out so we can hand on heart say that we only recommend products that really are ecologically friendly.

From the coffins suppliers we use to floral arrangements, we can genuinely say that they are the least environmental impact.

This is so, so important for us. To know the origin of something and be able to trace it back to one willow farm, one flower grower or one paper manufacturer.
In fact, it is even possible for us to give you the name of the person who picked that flower or harvested the willow used to make a coffin.

For the majority of our clients, that level of detail isn’t important but when we go to a natural burial grounds, it is vital that we know how a coffin is constructed, what are they lined with, that no oasis is used for flowers etc.

Natural burial grounds just also happen to be extremely beautiful. They do have strict rules about coffins and flowers for good reason.
Nothing we use can be damaging to nature. It’s just as simple as that.

We also love that funeral services are often far more relaxed as isn’t a time constraint. Many will only undertake one service a day so there is no you never feel rushed.

A lot of clients still have a celebrant or religious minister lead the service but equally a number also take the service themselves.

It just feels really personal and with stunning views and no time limit, we’ve been lucky enough to witness some stunning funeral services over the years.

In the summer you can take shelter from the sun under the canopy of trees and in the winter, those same trees shelter you from the rain and even snow.

To speak to real experts in natural burial services and eco-friendly funerals, the number to call is 01865 714130.

We love this post from and think the fabulous has got this absolutely right. It is only when we experience death that ...
22/05/2025

We love this post from and think the fabulous has got this absolutely right.

It is only when we experience death that we have a greater appreciation for life.

We really take the time to get to know our clients and pay enormous attention to what they say.

Over the years, the most common phrase we hear is ‘We always said that when we retired we would……’

We’ve been really lucky to have known some of the best people who had the bloody audacity to die when we thought they would live forever.

But once that initial fog of grief started to disappear, it was then that we realised that we need to live and experience all the things that life has to offer.

So we have learnt that you don’t put things off until retirement. If there is something we want to do, we do it.
When we are quiet in the office, we get out as much as possible.
When the weather is perfect, the motorbike gets ridden into the office rather than being sat in a car.

Sadly, we don’t live forever and if there is one thing I have learned from being a funeral director for over two decades - never put something off if you can do it now.

We are desperately sad to hear that two brave firefighters lost their lives in the line of duty this week in Oxfordshire...
16/05/2025

We are desperately sad to hear that two brave firefighters lost their lives in the line of duty this week in Oxfordshire.

Just two weeks after I opened my office over a decade ago, I came in to a smoke filled building.
The firefighters turned up, checked everything out, found the problem and made sure my building was safe.
They were the epitome of professional and I am so glad there was someone to call to help me.

We often don’t give a second thought to the emergency services until we really need them or when tragedy strikes.

When most would run away from danger, these incredible people run towards it every day to keep us safe.

I know there will be people across the county who would like to do something but don’t know what.
I’ve just made a donation to The Firefighters Charity as a small token as my thanks for everything they do every day and would encourage anyone else to do the same.

https://www.firefighterscharity.org.uk/

Oxford looking particularly glorious this morning.When we are asked to arrange a funeral service somewhere we have never...
14/05/2025

Oxford looking particularly glorious this morning.

When we are asked to arrange a funeral service somewhere we have never been before, it’s always important that we visit the venue in advance so we can make sure we have a complete plan in place.

We look at all sorts of things. Vehicle access, pathways, doors and find out things like what media options are available.

Being able to plan all of this in advance means that everything will be completely perfect on the day.

We never leave things to chance. Funeral services are far too important for that.

Joplin Coulbert Dodwell2012 - 2024On a clear, early May Day morning, Joplin told us that the time was right for her to g...
04/05/2025

Joplin Coulbert Dodwell
2012 - 2024

On a clear, early May Day morning, Joplin told us that the time was right for her to go at just over 11 years old.

With the help of an amazing vet, we watched and held our beloved girl until she slipped away in our arms.

She was our amazing office dog for four years until Covid hit and then decided to work from home - and there she stayed.

We know she bought comfort to many of our clients when they came to make arrangements and she was very spoilt with treats when they came back to visit.

As a family, we are devastated at the loss of our most loyal and faithful friend and we will forever be grateful that she loved us and we got to love her for over a decade.

We’re so lucky to be asked to arrange funeral services in some of the most glorious Oxford college chapels. Bespoke and ...
08/04/2025

We’re so lucky to be asked to arrange funeral services in some of the most glorious Oxford college chapels.

Bespoke and individual funerals doesn’t necessarily mean unusual hearses or wacky coffins.

It can mean a really traditional service but with 24/7 dedicated support from our small team.

Traditional services, and particularly in Oxford colleges, are often quite simple but simple funerals are exceedingly difficult to put into place.
This is because there is absolutely nothing to hide behind. Absolutely everything has to be perfect because if it isn’t, it is instantly noticeable that it isn’t.

We spend hours and hours making sure that everything isn’t just meticulously planned, but also visiting venues, timing routes down to the very last second and doing it all over again at least twice.

We often call Lucy a bit of a control freak but her response is always the same - ‘Our clients demand the very best from us and only perfection will do.’

For a bespoke funeral service - however that looks to you - why settle when you can have perfection?

Address

Cowley

Telephone

+441865714130

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