Watch as new Roker Park café arrives by crane to serve up new chapter for Sunderland green space

Roker Park's new café dropped in this morning - literally.

The timber-clad building was brought in by low-loader in two sections, then lifted into place by a massive crane.

Members of the public braved the rain to watch the new arrival as it was lowered into place.

The café will form the centrepiece of the latest stage of the £1.6million improvements to the historic park, offering views of the Grade II-listed bandstand as well as the fairy dell and ravine.

It is expected to open in the next few weeks.

Hannah Jackson-Harrison, the creator behind Seaham's popular Flamingo Café, will be running the new café with colleague Joanne Woods, and can't wait to move in.

She has named the new café Ruhe - the German word for peace and tranquillity - and will be serving up a menu of salads, superfoods and more using produce from local suppliers.

"We can’t wait to showcase what we have to offer on our carefully designed menu and also equally excited to integrate into an already thriving community,"she said.

Joanne added: "We have hopes for Ruhe to become a local 'hub', a place where friends and family come to meet, a space for arts and craft evenings and a general go-to place for a fresh, made to order brunch."

Coun Alison Smith is Sunderland City Council's Deputy Cabinet Member for Dynamic City: "It was really exciting to see the new café being lifted into place," she said.

"It's such a lovely location for it. I think it's going to be massively popular. It's a fantastic asset for the park and hopefully it will appeal to residents and visitors alike.

"This is the latest stage in our continued transformation of the park following the restoration of water features including the waterfall and the boating lake.

"Now the café is in place, we'll be starting work on a landscaping scheme with amphitheatre style seating overlooking the bandstand and improvements to existing planting schemes.

"Later this year we'll also be starting work on the restoration of the historic Victorian listed bandstand, the refurbishment of the former park-keeper's lodge and the installation of an accessible changing places toilet, so it’s is a really exciting time for the park.

"It’s also another fantastic addition to our award winning seafront which has seen millions of pounds of investment in recent years to make it a year-round visitor destination.

"This has already helped bring in new businesses and visitor attractions including Stack Seaburn, the Tin of Sardines, North restaurant and the new Black's Corner at the Tram Shelter.

"And just last week we announced plans to develop a new children's play park at Seaburn. These developments not only provide a boost to the local economy all year round but keep families coming back time after time."

The new café building has been supplied by Portable Space, who specialise in shipping containers and conversions.

Production manager Ian Stringer said: "The Portable Space team is proud to have played a role in the revitalization of Roker Park, providing a bespoke café conversion that was functional and aesthetically pleasing.

"We're excited to see the positive impact it will have on the community and can't wait to see it thrive."