Reverend Richard Coles, the former Bronski Beat star turned priest, has confessed to breaking the law by secretly placing pets' ashes into coffins during burials at his Northamptonshire church. Speaking at the Hay Festival on Saturday, the 64-year-old revealed he would distract undertakers to slip the ashes in, honouring the final wishes of parishioners.
Coles, who served as vicar at St Mary the Virgin church in Finedon from 2011 to 2022, acknowledged that burying animal remains with human remains is illegal in the UK due to separate regulations. He said: 'It is illegal to bury a dog’s ashes with a body... So I would quite often go to the undertaker... and say, “Have you screwed down Mrs Haversedge?” And they’d say, “Not yet,” and I’d say, “Look at that bird!”' before placing the ashes inside.
Defending his actions, Coles quoted the hymn 'There is a wideness in God’s mercy' and noted that his predecessors had similarly bent rules to allow unbaptised parishioners or those who died by suicide to be buried in the churchyard. 'They would extend mercy, because there are no limits to God’s mercy,' he added.
Coles found fame in the 1980s with Bronski Beat and the Communards, later studying theology and becoming a priest in 2005. He has since presented BBC shows and appeared on reality programmes including 'Strictly Come Dancing' and 'I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!', where he came third in 2024.
