A YOUNG couple have thrown their life savings into renovating an almost derelict pub in Ross-on-Wye.

Charlie Baker and Rebecca Pickup, who currently live at Brampton Abbotts and run the Paddle Café at Kerne Bridge, acquired the Riverside Inn, which has not been operational for over a decade, at an on-line auction on May 30.

Charlie said this was a last-minute decision to enter the auction having only managed to secure a viewing the previous evening.

He said: “Once I had got into the building, I immediately saw the potential and fell in love with it. I could see past the damage caused by the squatters.

“We were aware of the building’s troubled past, but we have ambitious plans to make this work both in the short term and long term.”

Charlie explained that they had spent a lot of time prior to the auction working out the logistics and its possibilities and added that it faced West and captured the afternoon sun. They had almost talked themselves out of the auction because of the difficulty in viewing the inside of the property.

The couple, who readily admit they are outdoor people and work as ski instructors in Japan during the winter months, added that all the internal non-structural walls have now been demolished so that all rooms could be re-styled and remodelled.

Rebecca said that their immediate plan was to convert the wooden hut on the site and turn this into a café while the renovations to the pub were on-going. It would be run in a style like their Paddle Café operation.

Phase two of the project will be the conversion of the upper floor into the couple’s private accommodation along with five en-suite hotel rooms.

Charlie said that the project was exciting for them but they were not rushing to complete the renovation of the pub. However they were looking at opening next Easter.

“We’ve already received so many positive comments about saving this once much-loved pub,” said Charlie. “I’ve always wanted to run a pub, with adventure on the side. We have the space to fulfil this dream.”

Rebecca added: “This is definitely an adventure, and since we’ve bought it, we’ve not looked back.”

Rebecca’s family are also involved in renovating the pub, with her father Kev Pickup taking on the building work with Simon King.