Colleagues of a "gentle giant" dad have paid tribute to the popular hotel manager after his sudden death following a blood clot. Nick Prosser, 35, managed the Old Rectory Hotel in Llangattock, a village in the Brecon Beacons.
He fell ill while at work on March 23 and tragically the defibrillator at a nearby pub was not working correctly at the time, said staff at the hotel. An air ambulance attended but Nick could not be saved.
The hotel's assistant manager Kallie Mole said the cause of the blood clot is not known. She added that staff at the Old Rectory have been supporting Nick's wife Kayleigh, who works at the hotel. Nick was father to Lily, 14, Romeo, eight, and seven-year-old twins Freddie and Fia-Rae.
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Kallie said: "Nick worked here five years and he was manager for the last two. He started as a night porter and worked his way up. It was amazing working with him to be honest. He helped make it fun and there was never a dull moment. He was always the life and soul and the first one to help if anyone was struggling. We all called him the gentle giant because he was a very tall man full of personality.
"He was serious when he had to be but he was always funny around his work family as we all called each other. At Christmas he dressed up as Mrs Claus and couldn't wait to do the light switch-on."
Head housekeeper Kirsty Williams said it was important to Nick that guests and staff were always enjoying themselves. She recalled how he made sure one colleague had food and supplies at home while ill with Covid. "He worked 100 hours a week sometimes," said Kallie. "He was the heart of our community. Some people came to stay just because Nick was here."
Nick, who grew up in Ynysybwl before moving to Brecon, was a family man who loved spending time with his children. Kallie said: "He was Formula One mad. He was going to take Freddie and Romeo to Silverstone this year. It was the first time he'd had the chance to get tickets."
Kirsty has started a GoFundMe page to fundraise £2,000 for a memorial bench and £1,975 has already been donated. Anything above the target will go towards a defibrillator for the hotel. "We're going to have a memorial bench at the hotel for those who knew and loved him to sit and remember him," said Kirsty. "Kayleigh will sit down with the children and they'll decide what tree they'd like to be planted next to the bench. Anything above the target will go towards a defibrillator."
Kallie added: "It has been difficult but he was always the one to pick everyone up when they were feeling low. That's exactly what he would be like now. He'd always say: 'Come on, let's do this.'"
Hundreds of people have shared and commented on the hotel's Facebook statement announcing Nick's death. The post read: "It is with heartbreak and sadness that we share with all our loyal customers and friends that the legend Mr Nick Prosser closed his eyes for the last time... he has left a hole in all of our hearts and will forever be our loving, caring, kind-hearted man. His wife, children, family and friends will forever remember him as their hero. The man who would give anything and everything for anyone. The Rectory will continue on with all of your plans and truly make it your legacy."
One regular guest at the hotel commented on the post: "He would go the extra mile to ensure we always had a lovely time there, nothing too much trouble, always so pleasant and obliging, as so many have said, became a friend, one in a million. Please accept our condolences, taken way too soon."
You can donate here to the GoFundMe for the memorial bench and tree. For latest breaking news from Wales click here.
