A million-pound restoration is under way to return a fire-ravaged Aberdeen cafe to its former glory.
The Park Cafe at Hazlehead was badly damaged in a blaze in December, and has been shut since.
But construction workers have now launched repairs, and management are hopeful that customers will be back inside by the end of the year.
The builders will have the coffee shop ready by then, with the function suite to follow by Easter.
Teenager was arrested after fire
It was late at night on Friday, December 11, that smoke was spotted billowing across Hazlehead Park from the building.
Police quickly confirmed the blaze was started deliberately and a 15-year-old boy was later charged.
By this spring, owner Pat Kennedy had formed plans for it to rise from the ashes and a contract was tendered for the project.
Burns Construction has now been appointed, and bosses expect a hassle-free process to get it done on time.
‘It’s been a tough year’
Taking a break from serving customers at the replacement kiosk, Pat told us that people were already booking weddings for the function room next spring.
She said: “This is such a welcome step in the right direction.
“We still have a lot of bookings that have carried over from last year, and there are already weddings in the book for next year.”
Pat added: “It’s been devastating, to be honest, it’s been a tough year.
“But we have had amazing support, we have a terrific group of regular customers who have been coming to our replacement kiosk and marquee.
“I just can’t wait to welcome them back into the building.”
Watch as work begins at the popular spot –
Hard-working staff battled the elements to keep business afloat
The contract is worth £900,000 and replacing the contents of the cafe could cost more than £100,000.
Pat rents the premises from Aberdeen City Council and has been running it for 10 years.
She reserved special praise for employees who donned “raincoats, welly boots and fleeces” to continue serving customers outdoors over winter.
Lord Provost of Aberdeen, Barney Crockett, opened Pat’s other cafe in Duthie Park five years ago and has been a big supporter of the venues since then.
He hopes that the popularity of the city’s parks will continue after a surge in footfall during lockdown.
The councillor added: “It has been a silver lining on a very dark cloud that people are getting a bigger awareness of what they have on their doorsteps.
“And having the Park Cafe back up and running will put an extra spring in the step of people visiting Hazlehead.”
Burns Construction director, Keith McPhee, added: “There’s no complications expected, and the work being indoors means it won’t suffer any weather delays.
“It’s quite badly smoke and fire damaged, I come to the park quite a lot myself and it’s much worse than you would expect from the outside.”
Since starting, workers say they have been frequently approached by members of the public excited to see the building being repaired.