A family-run coffee shop is putting the heart of the community at the centre of its ethos as it emerges from the effects of the pandemic.

David, 34 and Eleanor Nickerson-Smith, 33, opened Quaff East Coffee on Newgate, in Beccles, in the middle of the pandemic in September 2020 and they run the business together, with their 11-month-old daughter Delaney joining them during the day.

They originally planned a February 2020 opening before the outbreak of the pandemic, with Mr Nickerson-Smith decided to open the coffee shop for personal reasons.

He said: "Two and a half years ago in the space of two weeks my mum had a brain aneurism and my dad a heart attack.

"My dad sadly passed away and my mum made a full recovery.

"It was a real shock to the system and made me realise you need to live every day of your life in the way you want to.

"We both realised we were working long hours for other people and had the skill set to set up our own place so that is what happened."

Since opening, David and Eleanor have sought to establish a coffee shop that serves everybody.

Mr Nickerson-Smith said: "We wanted to set up a place that really serves a community.

"We make sure we have a space that feels comfortable for everyone like a second home or workspace for people.

"We started off with takeaway service only and this was beneficial for people particularly during the second and third lockdown because we were sometimes the only other people they talked to throughout the day."

Going forward, Mr Nickerson-Smith wants to create a greater community space for his customers.

"More community is the future," he said.

"We'd like to start doing supper clubs and we've just started working with Lowestoft and Waveney Breastfeeding Support Group.

"This gives parents and babies a chance to get together because the pandemic has proved to be a really lonely process for people.

"I'm hoping to start up some coffee training courses as well because coffee is my passion.

"We want to do as much as possible for the Beccles community."