Clear-up begins at biker cafe destroyed by fire

A clean-up operation has begun at a cafe destroyed by fire, with the owner saying it "will be back".

The View Coffee Shop in Milton Abbas, Dorset, went up in flames in the early hours of 27 June and the neighbouring sports pavilion was also damaged.

Hayley Bridge, who launched the cafe in 2023, says she must wait for the insurance process to complete before submitting a planning application to rebuild but, seven weeks after the blaze, she has been given the go-ahead to start clearing the wreckage.

"Staff, family and customers are all helping out, which is lovely and part of our re-build process all together," she said.

Bridge had recently undergone cancer treatment, including months of chemotherapy, and had been getting back on track before the fire happened.

She had initially hoped to open a "pop-up cafe" while waiting to rebuild but said that was no longer viable because it would mean going through the planning process twice.

"Clearing the site is a great start. Unfortunately its a waiting game," she said.

An online fundraiser to support the coffee shop and pavilion has raised more than £12,000.

The View is a popular stop-off for cyclists and bikers and, since April, has been part of a UK-wide Bike and Brew Passport Event - a charity scheme for motorcyclists who collect stamps in a passport-style book at bike-friendly venues.

Organisers said any cash dropped in collection tins at participating venues throughout July would be donated to the cafe.

They said: "We are a community. We are a family. So when we heard about the devastating fire... we wanted to offer our support to Hayley and the team."

One passport community member also organised a ride-out on 11 July to raise money for the View.

Ann Marie Kelly, who launched the online fundraiser, described the cafe and pavilion as "an incredibly valuable contribution to wellbeing" for the rural community.