THE new owners of the Riverside Inn have been amazed at the amount of support they received on the opening day of their café.

Charlie Baker and Rebecca Pickup, who acquired the pub in Wye Street during the summer at an on-line auction, have spent the last three months overseeing the groundworks for both the pub and the café.

And on Saturday, the pair were at the site early putting the final touches to the wooden café in the grounds of the pub, readying for a soft opening - a chance to get used to the new equipment and all the facilities, which includes a takeaway counter and an internal eatery.

However, customers began turning up at 7.30am and it was non-stop for the rest of the day.

Rebecca said that the café was first phase of their project to bring the Riverside Inn back to life and added: “We didn’t advertise that we were opening on Saturday, aside from putting boards outside the café, as we wanted everyone involved to settle into their new roles.

“But it immediately became obvious that this venture was going to be busy from the get-go.

“We’ve had visits from our neighbours, the people who live in Wye Street who were very complimentary about what we are doing and wished us well.”

Charlie, who designed the soft pink uniform, said that a lot of people who frequented their cafe at Kerne Bridge dropped by, along with the many dog walkers, who wished them well with their venture.

He added that Emma Price and Rebecca’s mother Sarah were all part of the team and that other members of his family were also involved behind the scenes.

The couple explained that the café’s income would bring in additional funds to help with the renovation of the Riverside Inn itself.

Rebecca’s father Kev Pickup has taken on the building work with Simon King, and he explained that the next phase of the project will be the renovation of the pub and restaurant area.

He added that this will be followed by the conversion of the upper floor into five en-suite hotel style rooms along with the couple’s private accommodation in the older part of the building, which was originally known as Swan Villa and owned by the Baynham family at the turn of the 20thCentury.

The couple are hoping that the Riverside Inn will be welcoming its first customers in more than a decade, in the spring of next year.