ONE of Malvern's best-loved coffee shops, Frogs cafe, off Church Street, has closed.

After a chain of what he called "unfortunate events", proprietor Nick Willcocks said he was devastated to lose his business.

"I spent six years really working my hardest in that place and I've lost everything."

The 33-year-old Canadian came to Malvern, his parent's home town, eight years ago to work as restaurant manager at the Cottage in the Wood before taking over Frogs in 1996.

He said: "When I arrived, I noticed immediately that there was no place in the town during the day that you could go and have, what I deem, good coffee in a comfortable atmosphere."

With a determination to make the cafe central to a thriving community, Frogs hosted a myriad of events including the launch of the Almeida Festival.

However, two years ago, the cafe was badly flooded after a customer kicked and broke a toilet, resulting in a £7,000 bill for repairs.

The incident led Mr Willcocks to discover his buildings insurance was not as comprehensive as he had believed.

After two years of struggling to pay off the outstanding bill, he fell behind on his rent until Stafford-based Castlebank Recovery Services brought his tenure to an end nearly two weeks ago.

Mr Willocoks said: "I accept responsibility for that. I haven't lied, misled anybody or run on a plane to hide. I've stuck around and I'm facing the music."

While he is looking for a job in a new field, Mr Willcocks said he was keen to continue contributing to Malvern's bright future.

Estate Agents John Goodwin are handling the Frogs property for its Malvern owner.

Agent Anthony Carlton said: "We're going to relet it. We would like to see it continue as a restaurant cafe, as a meeting place."

For further details, ring 01684 892809.