The family of a much-loved and popular café owner on Penarth Pier has paid tribute to her as their "sunshine, light and love" following her death aged 61. Nicola Sullivan, who ran Nicola's Juice and Coffee Bar on the pier for nearly 15 years, died peacefully on August 22 after battling an illness for years.
The mum-of-two was integral to the community of Penarth where she had lived her whole life. She went to Stanwell High School, played hockey for The Penarth Ladies, and frequented her local pub Old Penarthians RFC. She was inspired to open her own juice bar after she saw someone carrying fresh orange juice in a shopping centre in Cardiff and realised that there was a gap in the market in her hometown. She started her shop from a unit on the pier before eventually expanding to hot drinks and food as well.
What began as a temporary six-month contract turned into the long-standing venture at the heart of the community. Her daughter Carys Kimish, 30, said: "She loved it down there. She loved all the customers and all the people she met. She just always had a smile on her face down there.
