Tributes to tragic ‘gentle giant’ hotel manager, 35
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, near Crickhowell.
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 widow, Kayleigh, who works at the hotel. Nick was father to Lily, 14, Romeo, eight, and seven-year-old twins Freddie and Fia-Rae.
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. 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.