The Sandford pub near Wareham in Dorset, is set to reopen as a welcoming hub to celebrate all things automotive with American style motorbike and vehicle events.
Since unexpectedly closing its doors in October 2023, the pub on the A351, had fallen into disrepair with the imposing building gradually becoming something of an eyesore.
Richie Rivers aims to transform the vacant Sandford pub into a hub for Purbeck’s automotive community
Hugely popular vehicle meet ups
But now first-time landlord Richie Rivers and his partner Laura, have taken over the lease and are determined to make it a stand-out success.
They previously ran Rivo’s Hub in nearby Hamworthy, a cars and coffee unit they built up from scratch, after Covid made them rethink their lifestyle.
Having been adopted by the motorcycling fraternity, Rivo’s rebranded itself as a carbs and coffee hub – as in carburettors – and staged hugely popular vehicle meet ups for American cars, military vehicles and performance bikes.
Richie, who also stages Dorset Volksfest at Wareham Showground every July, now plans to use the large car parks at The Sandford for its popular vehicle meet ups, while also restoring the extensive pub gardens and dining room for food and drink.
With live music events, a separate drive in coffee shop, a space to celebrate street art and an unusual theme based around his collection of Americana, the relaunched Rivo’s Hub promises to be a talking point in Sandford and beyond.
American Day at Rivo’s Hub in Hamworthy drew a big collection of cars from the USA
So many bikers became attached to Rivo’s Hub that it changed its brand from Cars and Coffee to Carbs and Coffee
Neighbours helped to tidy up the pub
The couple got the keys to the pub in July 2024 and faced with the initial overwhelming task of sorting out the vacant pub and overgrown gardens, they launched a plea on social media for help.
To their delight, lots of their new neighbours turned up with chainsaws, sledgehammers and a crowbar to tackle the job.
Improvements to the pub frontage and gardens can already be seen, although renovations throughout the rest of the building are likely to take until autumn 2024 to complete.
The pub is next door to the site of a contentious planning application for a new Lidl supermarket.
Richie Rivers introduced an Armed Forces day meet which became hugely popular
Jeeps, tanks and everything in between has been displayed at Rivo’s Hub
“We had to try for our dream”
Richie Rivers said:
“Before Covid, we decided we wanted to take on a pub and looked at The Sandford, but there were a few things went against it – our little boy was only four months old, my dad died and we went into lockdown all in the same week, so it was clearly the wrong time for us and we left it at that.
“After that, I sold my sandblasting business to a friend and took on the unit in Hamworthy where we started Rivo’s Hub, on 5th April 2021.
“It was risky – we still hadn’t come out of Covid, we didn’t have lots of money and we didn’t know how our idea would go but especially after losing my old man we just thought we had to try for our dream.
“We put everything we had into trying to make a business and it slowly grew. We don’t make much money, but we enjoy what we do which makes a big difference, and it seemed that a lot of people also liked what we did.”
The outside gardens and seating areas had become overgrown at The Sandford pub
Inside the pub, the dining area has plenty of potential but needs a complete overhaul
“Some things are meant to be”
Richie added:
“Then last year, Laura came home just before Christmas and said ‘I want a pub’. I did some research and found that The Sandford was empty, so it has all come full circle.
“Weirdly, the last conversation I had with my dad was about the pub, so there was a nice twist about it as a family, some things are meant to be.
“We outgrew the site in Hamworthy and couldn’t have done much more with it given the overheads. We were secluded, there was no passing trade so we had to go heavy on social media to promote ourselves, though it grew through word of mouth and recommendations.
“The Sandford pub itself is a beautiful building and when we realised it was empty we knew it was the right time for us to step in. The car parks are great for the meets that we hold and even if you are not into cars and bikes we have massive gardens for people to enjoy.”
The children’s play fort at The Sandford was rotting away and needed to be demolished
An inspection showed that the play equipment would have failed its annual legal safety checks
Play fort was rotting away
Having finally collected the keys to the pub, Richie and Laura quickly discovered that almost every aspect of the building needed serious attention – including a large children’s play fort which was rotting away.
Unfortunately, the play area had to be taken down on safety grounds and the cost of replacing it is too high to be done immediately, but Richie hopes that profits from the pub can be invested back into extra facilities month by month.
In the meantime, weekly updates showing how work on The Sandford is progressing should be uploaded to YouTube, and the search for a new chef and other staff is under way.
Rivo’s Hub burgers have a special reputation – like this steak, bacon and brie offering
Their breakfasts have also gone down a storm with customers…
While Laura’s sweet treat brownies, like this toffifee special, rarely last for long
A reputation for street food
Rivo’s Hub has built up a reputation for breakfasts, burgers, hot dogs and street food as well as Laura’s home cooking – everything from pasta bolognese to BBQ chicken as well as her famous cheesecakes and brownies.
An American style open day for its third birthday in March 2024 included Tex Mex burgers, American pancake stacks with bacon and syrup, chilli dogs and loaded chilli cheese fries, while an Easter menu featured hot cross bun bread and butter pudding and creme egg brownies.
The new chef will be asked to provide a basic starting menu and add specials to it to reflect the spirit of the new pub, while the new Rivo’s Hub will also open an early morning pull in coffee station for drivers in one of the pub’s garages.
Richie and Laura arriving for just another day at work
Classic motorcycles and the graffiti wall at Hamworthy – expect The Sandford to become a pub with a difference!
“Scope to do more on a bigger scale”
Richie said:
“We have always done community events and with The Sandford pub we get the chance to have music and run a bar, where previously we had to apply for temporary licences.
“It gives us scope to do more on a bigger scale and is a better step for the business itself. There is a big hole in the Sandford community with the pub being closed, the locals are looking forward to the place opening again.
“We know a lot of locals have been concerned as they saw the place becoming dilapidated over the months and the weeds and litter getting out of control, and it was great that people we have never met before turned up to help us.”
Rivo’s van in a box has already taken up residence outside The Sandford
You never know what might turn up at Rivo’s Hub…
A pub with an automotive twist
Richie added:
“A lot of people on social media have voiced concern that we wouldn’t be a pub any longer, as we are known as a coffee shop.
“I can let Sandford know that we will 100 percent be a pub, just with our automotive twist – we have a lot of Americana stuff imported from Texas, so the pub will have a rustic Americana feel to it with music and different meets.
“It won’t be your average pub – I think you need to have a unique feel these days as so many of them are struggling, so you need a little niche of your own and a different style to give people somewhere interesting to go.
“But if you aren’t interested in the cars or bikes, you can always treat it as a normal pub and enjoy a drink in our beautiful gardens – we want people to realise they can get the best of both worlds here!”
Further information
- Follow latest developments at Rivo’s Hub Sandford on its Facebook page
