County Funerals

Independent family-run funeral services in Hertfordshire

County Funerals is an independent, family-owned funeral business founded in 2017 by Grant Pinney and Amelia Stoker. The firm presents itself as a fully independent service with more than 50 years of combined team experience supporting families through bereavement. Its stated area of operation covers Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, including the towns and cities in those areas and nearby locations, with local care teams available 24 hours a day, every day.

The company believes that every goodbye should be as unique as the life of the person who has died, and it focuses its work on arranging personalised ceremonies that reflect the personality, values and story of the deceased, from contemporary celebrations to intimate acts of remembrance.

Funeral and cremation options

The service range is organised into several options, designed for different degrees of personalisation and cost:

• Traditional Funeral: a classic-style service, with religious as well as humanist or multi-faith options, in a context where cremation has become the more common alternative to burial.
• Exceptional Funerals: a modern, flexible option that the company presents as an alternative to conventional crematorium or graveside services.
• Simple Funeral: a less traditional option focused on a celebration of life with a family-led service at a crematorium, a more affordable approach covering the essentials.
• Personal Service: a lower-cost cremation at a crematorium chosen by County Funerals; the ceremony can be led by the family or by an officiant, in the latter case at an additional charge, and is focused on a celebration of life.
• Direct Cremation: the company notes that cremation does not limit the ways in which the deceased can be honoured and that a funeral or memorial service can be held in a meaningful place, such as the home or a chapel.
• Memorial Masonry: a selection of memorial stones or monuments, a process the firm describes as deeply personal and aims to make easier with guidance.

Faiths and traditions served

Among the funeral services detailed are options linked to different faiths and traditions: Buddhist, Catholic, Church of England, Hindu, Jewish and Muslim funerals. This variety reflects the company's observation that, whereas Christian rites with a religious service and burial once predominated, today traditional faith-based services coexist with humanist and multi-faith options, as well as traditional funerals without religious affiliation.

What to do when a loved one dies

The company operates a 24-hour telephone service and advises that, when a death occurs, it is best to make contact immediately for guidance on the next steps. In its information material it distinguishes three situations:

• Death at home: call the family doctor and the next of kin; if the death was expected, the doctor provides a medical certificate stating the cause of death and a formal notice explaining how to register the death.
• Death in hospital: the hospital issues the medical certificate and formal notice, and the body remains in the mortuary until the family appoints a funeral director to transfer it, arrange a chapel of rest or arrange for the body to be taken home.
• Unexpected death: if the death was not expected or the family doctor had not seen the deceased in the last 14 days, the case is reported to a coroner, who is responsible for investigating unexpected deaths and may order a post-mortem or an inquest; this can extend the timescales and delay the funeral.

Pre-paid funeral plans and financing

County Funerals offers pre-paid funeral plans, which it presents as a forward-thinking way to plan one's own funeral. The company also states that it accepts DWP payments (the UK social security agency) and does not require an upfront payment. It also publishes a standardised price list and a dedicated funeral costs section.

Two offices in Hertfordshire

The firm operates from two offices in Hertfordshire: one in Little Wymondley and another in Letchworth Garden City. Both are listed as contact points for the company, which describes itself as an independent family funeral service.

Locations and premises

Little Wymondley branch: 3 Priory Lane, Little Wymondley, SG4 7HE · Telephone: 01438 510355

Letchworth Garden City branch: 65 Station Road, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, SG6 3BJ · Telephone: 01462 337840