New Café Opening at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens

With a successful venue on Ocean Road, South Shields, Sea Change is known for its inclusive menu, offering vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. More than just a café, it is a social enterprise dedicated to empowering neurodiverse adults across the North East. Sea Change provide skills, confidence, and experience for sustainable employment and has already created eight new jobs with an ambition to add ten more within its first year.

Sarah Farrell-Forster, CEO and founder of Sea Change said: "We are thrilled to announce the opening of our second café, located in the heart of the city at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens!"

"This exciting expansion not only allows us to bring our delicious offerings to a new audience but also furthers our mission of providing more supported employment for the neurodiverse community in Sunderland. By growing our presence, we can empower even more individuals with meaningful work, skill development, and a supportive environment where they can thrive. We can't wait to welcome you to our new location and create an even greater positive impact."

Since opening in 2019, Sea Change has supported over 100 people from across the neurodiverse community, with 20 people progressing into paid hospitality roles and five securing independent employment through its 'Sea Change for Employment' programme.

Councillor Beth Jones, Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Tourism at Sunderland City Council, said: " Sea Change's opening at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens is a fantastic addition to our city. Not only does it offer visitors a welcoming space to enjoy the varied food offer in our much loved Museum, but it also champions inclusivity by creating valuable experience and employment opportunities for the neurodiverse community.  We look forward to welcoming Sea Change to Sunderland and working with them over the coming months as we continue to develop our plans for the Museum and Winter Gardens and raise awareness of our newly established Mowbray Park Community Garden". 

Sunderland City Council is busy preparing to submit a funding bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for the Museum and Winter Gardens. The plans are due to be submitted in May to carry out a range of improvements to the museum's visitor spaces.

This bid is alongside a second round of funding from Arts Council England Museum and Estates Fund, secured last month towards improvements to the Winter Gardens. These are positive for the museum, protecting and conserving it for many years to come. As well as ensuring it can continue to create valuable opportunities for people from across our communities and for visitors to the city.