New owners take over 'beloved' Arnside beach hut

Tom, 32, and Christiané Brook, 28, took on Arnside Beach Hut on May 14 and have just experienced their first Bank Holiday weekend on the promenade.

The hut is somewhat of a dream of theirs with Christiané building on her 15 years' experience in hospitality and Tom fulfilling an ambition of running his own business. 

READ MORE: 60 year old runs 1000 miles to raise money for Dogs Trust

Tom has a military background with Afghanistan being one of the places he has toured.

After moving around the UK to places such as Manchester and Leicester, he travelled to the USA around 18 months ago where he met Christiané in Los Angeles while pursuing acting.

The pair married on November 11 last year and have settled in South Lakes together with their rescue dog Harvie - named after the Batman character Harvey Dent because of her distinctive face patches.

Christiané, who worked at the Beach Hut, learned from previous owner Leanne Waddington that she was potentially looking for someone to take over.

The couple thought this was the perfect time to jump at the chance. 

"I'm a massive coffee lover," Tom said. "I'm very creative and am always coming up with ideas and we couldn't wait to make this little place off the beach our own.

Christiané, who has also worked in events co-ordinations in LA,  added: "I also went fashion and design school so I've created plenty of mood boards for how we want it to looks aesthetically.

"We want to be nice, cozy place, particularly in the winter, where the community can visit and feel like this is a second home." 

The couple say the renovations will come later in the year. For now they are adjusting to life as business owners and getting to grips with stock as well as making plans to re-vamp the menu.

Premium toasties, paninis, healthy salads and sandwiches are set to be on offer along with some substantial vegan options and lots more.

Plenty of coffee will be served along with some re-blended, re-named milkshakes.

Tom added: "We are honoured that Leanne has entrusted us with the beloved Arnside Beach Hut - not only with the business she put her heart and soul into the past four years, but also with the community she has fostered here.

"We can't wait to continue on the legacy of the Arnside Beach Hut and we look forward to getting to the know them.

"We're going to be asking out on social media what people would like to see so we're excited to hear."