BOURNEMOUTH’S first brewery should be up and running by May.

Scaffolding was recently erected at the Poole Hill site, where Southbourne Ales Limited plans to open the brewery at the former Bumbles nightclub.

Southbourne Ales’ owner Jennifer Tingay told the Daily Echo: “We didn’t get the keys until November but it wasn’t until the New Year that we properly got going.

“It is a huge project, as we’re putting in new frontage for the shop on Poole Hill and installing the brewery.

“We found some beautiful cast iron columns at the front of the building, which we knew existed because of an old photograph. So we’ve changed the design slightly, we have to work around them a bit differently. But they’re beautiful and they’ll be incorporated into the new design.”

Jennifer says they may have a soft opening in April, but May is when they should be fully open for business.

Southbourne Ales will become the first brewer in Bournemouth itself - the Bournemouth Brewing Company, which has been running for several years, is actually based in Poole.

Southbourne Ales has eight beers on sale and has won a number of prizes.

Jennifer, who worked as the quality manager at Ringwood Brewery for seven-and-a-half years, launched Southbourne Ales in 2013 and started brewing at Town Mill Brewery in Lyme Regis.

Southbourne Ales’ new Poole Hill premises, which was once occupied by a Rolls-Royce showroom and an ironmongers, had been empty for 16 years before Jennifer and her team stared work.

The company plans to run tours of the brewery during working hours and hopes to include a public bar, opening from 11am-11pm. They also hope to produce 5,760 pints a week.

The new brewery will produce the established Southbourne Ales range as well as a new brand which is under development.

If all goes to plan Jennifer aims to employ 13 staff and to take on an apprentice every two years.