THE woman who helped to launch a cult magazine and an equally vibrant and alternative music festival has died at the age of 64.

Considered “too pragmatic” to be a hippy, Nicola Humphreys was devoted in equal measure to both social and political scenes in the Presteigne community.

Friends have described her as “immensely competent”, claiming that she will be much missed.

The youngest of Dr Helen Humphreys’ and the late Dr David Humphreys’ four daughters, Nicola was introduced to the border town after her parents built a holiday home among the ruins of fire-damaged Knill Court.

She gained a string of degrees from her studies in Manchester, from Birkbeck College, London and later in life a degree in genetics from Aberystwyth University.

At home in Presteigne, where she lived in Broad Street, Nicola was a leading light in organising Presteigne Players, local pantomimes and community plays. She was a member of the Memorial Hall Committee and became a partner in Presteigne’s fashionable Hat Shop restaurant.

In 1992 she co-founded Sheep Music with Pete Mustill, and 12 months later they launched Broad Sheep which is still widely consulted 25 years later.

Nicola ran a nursery from her back garden, and she learned to play accordion and helped found the Tango Band. Many remember how she would cut a dash wearing glittery silver dresses and fishnet tights.

Some regarded her as a ‘hippy’, though Pete Mustill disagreed. “She was immensely competent, she was much too pragmatic to be a hippy!”

Diagnosed with lung cancer three years ago, Nicola initially responded well to treatment and embarked on a period of travel, visiting a long list of European capital cities. She also enjoyed Wimbledon and even took a share in a racehorse syndicate.

She served as a member of the former Radnorshire District Council in the 1980s, and later joined Presteigne Town Council. Councillor Kirkby, the town council’s longest serving member and seven times mayor, said she was a “very special person devoted to her community”.

He added: “She was a wise counsel, always someone to bounce ideas off. She will be remembered fondly. She is already missed.”

· A memorial service will held for Nicola Humphreys at Knill Church on February 4.