THE POPULAR Bandstand restaurant in Sandown is up for sale.

Owners Donna and Paul Rowling said after seven years it was time to move on.

Paul said: "It's time to go. We'll be staying on the Island and we've got a couple of things in our heads we would like to do.

"We've been busy all those years, and as soon as lockdown was over we had a bumper summer and October half-term.

"It seems a good time to bid goodbye."

The couple rescued the 100-year-old bandstand building in 2014 after it had stood derelict for decades.

It had previously been a cafe in the 1970s but had lain dormant since.

They breathed new life into it by giving it the wow factor of all-round glazing — capitalising on the fantastic panoramic sea views afforded by its position on Culver Parade.

They opened as The Bandstand in 2015 and quickly gained a good reputation.

Their head chef, Scott Stephens, has been with them since the start, and their 19 staff remained with them despite the challenges of the Covid pandemic.

The business comes complete with the staff, and a neighbouring icecream kiosk, through agents Gully Howard.

The agents describe a "highly profitable business trading from a rapidly up-and-coming location.

"Premises runs to approximately 154m² (1657ft²) including kitchen and toilets with an outdoor seating area of approximately 34m² (365ft²).

"Offers are invited in the region of £585,000 for the business, goodwill, fixtures and fittings, and the long leasehold of the building."