An iconic AFC Bournemouth-themed cafe has reopened under new management after undergoing refurbishment. 

Cherries Cafe, close to AFC Bournemouth's home, Vitality Stadium, has reopened under the new management of Karen Dickson, 64, after it underwent refurbishment to the kitchen and floors. 

Opening doors on mid-March after three-and-a-half weeks of work, Karen said she was was keen to keep the soul of the cafe the same under the ethos, 'don't fix it if it works'.

She said: "We decided that we'd take the opportunity to do a big refurb because it hadn't been done for some time. 

"We pulled all the equipment out,  deep cleaned and we looked at the flooring and thought it's not up to standard so my husband said we should bit the bullet and do it."

Established in the 1940s, Cherries Café has become a firmly loved café in Springbourne, however, it has recently seen hard times, struggling after Covid. 

Previous owner Mandy Norris transferred ownership to Andy Thomas in 2023 with Andy also deciding to give the business up after finding the commute from Basingstoke too difficult. 

Karen said: "[Andy] lived in Basingstoke so it was difficult for him to be hands-on, whereas I'm literally a couple of miles up the road so I can come literally fly over. 

"We've kept the basics and just added some additions to the menu and kept the look and feel of the place the same. We've even kept the furniture as Roger, one of daily customers, asked us to."

Along with keeping old customers, Karen has kept on key member of staff, Tina Jacobs, 54, who has been with the cafe for a year. 

Despite the change, Tina has stated she has been kept happy and that matchdays only seem to be busier, the first of which was the game against Everton on March 30. 

She said: "Matchday was busier on the Cherries Facebook page and I've never seen so many Scousers. We didn't have a clean plate, we had two people washing, we were running around."

Cherries Cafe is open Tuesday to Saturday from 8am to 2pm.