The Individual Funeral Company Ltd

08/03/2026

Starting my own company over a decade ago was a huge thing anyway, but it felt even bigger because there weren’t that many funeral companies owned completely by women.

I’m happy to say that this is changing and certainly in the last five years or so.

It just happens that we are surrounded by the most amazing women. Coffin manufacturers, bearers, celebrants, florists and clergy to name a few.
Each and every one giving the very best to our clients.

I’m also very lucky to be supported by my family - mum, sisters, nieces and wife - all of whom I couldn’t do without.

So, here’s to us and thank you to everyone who lifts us up on a daily basis.

24/02/2026

When I started The Individual Funeral Company, it was pretty much on a wing and a prayer.
I didn’t inherit it. I didn’t buy it. I wasn’t wealthy. I hadn’t started or owned a company before.

But - I had a dream. I wanted to change the way funeral services were arranged and how families were supported.

I didn’t like the way I was taught in a corporate undertaker where everything was about ‘targets’ and ‘selling.’

I wanted to go back to a time where caring came above and beyond everything else and I really believe in the last 13 years that is exactly what I have done.

Every single client has had the very best of me. Being on call to them 24/7. Picking the phone up and replying to emails deep into the night and on weekends. Really supporting them and what they need.
Because funeral services matter.

It was never something I thought I would grow up to be when I was a child. I could never have imagined I would have started my own company…..but it is something I love and immeasurably care about.

When people decide to work with me, I never take it for granted. I know how important it is.
But every single client I’ve worked for in the last 13 years has supported my dream.

But now I need your help. My little company is up against massive corporate machines with tens of millions to spend on advertising.

You can help by liking our posts. Sharing them. Recommending us to people. If you have been a client, leave a Google review. It all really helps us to remain visible online but it could also help someone who may just need that really personal, bespoke service that only we can offer.

Thank you to those who have used our company in the past. Those who chose us more than once and for those who we will walk gently beside in the future.

16/02/2026

This is always one of my most favourite places to think and I always do that best when I’m by the water.

For us, it’s really important that we don’t just sit back and think ‘We’ve been here for years now so we’re ok.’

Lucy didn’t inherit this company. She isn’t from a wealthy family. Everything The Individual Funeral Company is was built from hard work, complete grit and just a whole lot of luck.

Not only is she always looking at the latest products and services she can bring to people here, but she never stops thinking about how she can make the whole funeral profession better.

While only in the very early planning stages, we have enormous hope that Lucy may just have thought of something that could really help a lot of people.

So, in the coming months ahead, you may find that we kick Lucy back down to Brixham a bit more than usual so she can really think and plan things out.

In many press interviews Lucy has always said that where people need help, she is always here. While money is important to keep our doors open, helping people will always be more important.

We really can’t wait to see what she is planning and all we know is, you can guarantee it will be ethical and give help to people who really need her.

04/02/2026

This is a sculpture by Celeste Roberge called ‘The weight of grief.’

Grief affects everyone in really different ways and it can often begin before someone dies.

We can mourn the person they once were while we are still sitting in a room with them.

We can grieve after they’ve died which can evolve and change over time. Some days it can be overwhelming and others, it can be a gentle reminder they’ve gone.

In the initial days after death, we’ve found that for almost everyone, simple instructions can be a struggle and information vanishes from memory as soon as words have been spoken.

While we always like to meet people face to face, we love using emails just as much so our clients have a written record of the decisions they’ve made, those still left to make and then giving people time to make sure it all still feels right to them.

We’ve always looked to see how we can make things as easy as possible in those first few days and how we can continue to make it easy in the weeks ahead.
Everything we have put in place and everything we do, are things we wish someone had done for us.

Our clients are also never a burden. We answer the phone 24/7 to the people we are working for. It may be they have a question they want to know the answer to or they want to double check instructions they’ve given us.

We absolutely want people to call us at night and on the weekend. There is no need at all to wait and we’re always happy to be contacted whenever suits our clients.

The most common things people say to us are -

‘We didn’t expect you to pick up the phone and just wanted to leave a message’ and ‘I didn’t expect you to reply to our email so quickly.’

But why wouldn’t we? We think that is a basic part of what we do and if it’s important to you, it’s important to us.

We aren’t like other funeral directors and these are just a couple of reasons why we aren’t.

Funerals, the people we look after and our clients are too important for us for this to be a 9-5 job.
We really do care about every single thing we do - our Google reviews and testimonial page on our website are testament to this.

19/01/2026

When someone dies, it can often feel like your world has just been turned upside down.
For many, it has. You’re now navigating a new world without that person in it.

Like any good funeral director, we always think ‘How can we help and make everything as easy as possible?’

We’ve tried to put in place everything we wish we had when we were in your shoes.

- Prices online to get an idea of costs
- Lots of information on our website to see what is possible
- Having the owner of our company available by phone 24/7
- Emailing quotations based on your requirements
- Follow-up emails so you can keep track of everything
- Giving a timescale of 10-14 days for a funeral service when people want a funeral in a respectful time frame

All of these little things really matter to us and we know these little things add up to make a big difference.

It’s why we have near 60 excellent reviews on Google left by real clients.
It’s why we have worked for the same families more than once.
It’s why our clients recommend us to their friends.
It’s why churches, natural burial grounds and Oxford Colleges recommend us.
It’s why we’ve been asked by other funeral professionals to arrange services for members of their own family.

We understand the power and importance of funerals and we do everything possible to make sure they are absolutely perfect….Lucy has even been known to make it stop raining and even order snow when asked!

12/01/2026

We are working extremely hard to make sure people are able to have a funeral in a respectful timeframe.

From the day a client instructs us to the day of a funeral is, on average, 10 days.

We are currently working with a number of families who have been told by their original funeral director that they can’t have a service until the middle of February!

Unless it is your choice to wait that long, there really isn’t any reason why even the most complicated funeral can’t take place within a maximum of 14 days.

If you don’t like the availability of the company you first decided to employ, you can switch to another funeral director.

Our job is to work around our clients and their requirements. We never expect any family to wait which is why we do everything possible to make sure funerals happen as quickly as we can.

We can be contacted any time of the day or night to discuss what options there may be on 01865 714130

09/01/2026

Well, no snow for us but it just meant we could really appreciate these terribly old headstones in a local churchyard.

06/01/2026

Well, Oxford seems like a black hole for snow. Always hitting every county around us but today we did get a smattering.

When we collect people, we always use our British racing green van. It has everything we need to keep people safe and secure no matter what the weather.

In heavier snow, we have our Land Rover Discovery which is most often used as a hearse. But should the weather require it, this car has a special snow mode which means we can get absolutely anywhere but most importantly, again, people with us are safe and secure.

So, no matter what the weather, we are totally prepared - even if the snow only lasted an hour or so today!

31/12/2025

We would like to wish you all a very happy New Year.

We know for some, it will mark the end of one of the hardest years they will ever have. We’ve walked beside you as you have navigated your grief and hope we have made it just a little bit easier.

While we wish no one would ever need us again, we remain ready to help those who seek us out for a really personal, responsive and bespoke funeral.

So here’s to 2026 and everything it brings.

21/12/2025

We had the opportunity to make some very special friends this week after our client requested four black horses.

With thanks to the amazing Brunswick Carriage Company, these beautiful boys were impeccable throughout the entire journey.

It’s really important to us that when our clients request something special, that we work with the very best of the best.

To ensure that these special touches remain affordable, we have never and will never add to the cost we are charged by specialist carriage masters and our clients are only ever charged for the costs we pay.

Why do we do this? It’s because we want everyone to have something special without it becoming unaffordable.

We love being able to put together a really bespoke funeral service and for us, we want our clients to have exactly what they want.

After all, we will forever believe that everyone deserves an individual funeral.

15/12/2025

We remain on call 24-7 over the Christmas and New Year period.
It could be for immediate help by bringing a person into our care or it could be for a quotation or question you have. Whatever you need, Lucy is personally taking all calls.

Our office will only be open when clients who have arranged an appointment to see us between Christmas Eve and New Years Day.

It’s important that we work around our clients and their needs so if someone wants to come to our office on Christmas Day to talk through arrangements, we will make it happen.

While we wish we weren’t going to be needed as the year draws to an end, we absolutely remain committed that our family is here to help yours should you need us.

We are only ever a phone call away on 01865 714130.

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

09/12/2025

Lucy was having a walk around Oxford earlier and spotted this brilliant painting by and immediately fell in love.
So much so she had to stop and take a picture.

While she would love it on the walls of her office, alas, it is sadly out of our price range but we love it.

It basically sums up why she started The Individual Funeral Company.

Employed by national funeral directors and having to work to their rules, Lucy never really felt quite at home.
‘A square peg trying to fit into a round hole,’ is how she usually describes it.

So, she broke every single ‘rule’ that was in that particular world and started her own company. Being ethical, honest, kind.

We know, that sounds crazy. Those three things should be the very basics that funeral directors should be but she found that wasn’t necessarily true.

By being human and just a decent human, her clients recommend us. Not just publicly by writing reviews but 95% of our clients come to us because they have attended a funeral service she has arranged or a past client has recommended us.
That is something she values above all things.

‘You can’t buy recommendations and you can always rely on your friends being honest with you. It’s why it means so much.’

So, here’s to all the rule breakers and wherever it takes you.