A father and step-daughter team have worked tirelessly to transform an old amusement arcade into a modern, independent cafe.

In just three months, Andre Beckly and his 22-year-old step-daughter Hazel Golby have refurbished the former Royal Amusements in Bank Street, Ashford.

Cafe Cloud is set to open its doors for the first time this week but former IT teacher Andre said it has felt like a long journey to get to this point.

He said: “I must admit, this is the toughest thing I have ever done.

“Hazel and I have been doing as much of the refurbishment work ourselves.

“We got electricians and plumbers in where we had to but we made the counter, plastered, laid carpets and have done as much as possible on our own.

“I drafted in the in-laws too, you’ve got to reel in the family to save money!”

Andre lives in Longfield near Dartford with Hazel’s mum Debbie, while Hazel lives in Leybourne, near West Malling.

But the pair carefully selected Ashford as the right place to start their business.

Andre added: “We looked all round Kent but chose Ashford because it is still young, lively and up and coming.

“It has a lot going for it with great transport links to London and even internationally.

“We noticed there are no independent coffee shops in the town so there was a gap in the market.

“There are certainly none like ours.

“We will make everything on site from scratch and have a flexible menu that can move with the seasons.

“It all comes down to quality, and we aim to maintain that level of quality.”