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Our Story

Hi, we’re Sea Change – a social enterprise café in South Shields and Sunderland, on a mission to empower neurodiverse adults in the North East with the skills, confidence, and experience they need for sustainable employment.

We started as a small group of passionate people, determined to do better. With a lot of learning, hard work, and commitment, we became a tight-knit team of kitchen and café staff.

Our journey began with ‘The Lab Kitchen’, a pilot project in partnership with The National Lottery and AutismAble. As our support and customer base began to grow, so did our confidence… to create a high street café with a lasting impact!

In 2019, we opened our doors, and we haven’t looked back since! With incredible support from the BEST staff team, our local community and a team of dedicated volunteers, we transformed an empty space on Ocean Road into a thriving café and training kitchen.

Since then we have survived a pandemic; we have offered over 50 neurodiverse individuals work placements; and successfully trained 20 adults with autism and/or disabilities into hospitality roles. 5 of those have progressed onto unsupported employment because of the support and skills they learned during their time with us.

Beyond our menu, Sea Change is a vibrant space for local artists and live music, as well as a hub for community events – including a weekly neurodivergent social club, training for professionals, DJ nights, buskers, yoga, wreath-making, and so much more!

The road to 2025 has been anything but smooth – from almost losing our café due to rising costs in January 2024, to being saved by a Crowdfunder that raised over £30,000. Now, we’re getting ready to take on our biggest challenge yet: opening our second Sea Change location at Winter Gardens.

Our mission:

To empower people with disabilities, particularly young neurodiverse adults, to become valued, accepted, and included in the workforce.

Our vision:

To cultivate a new wave of talent and inspire a sea change in attitudes towards inclusive employment. We believe that neurodiversity is a strength, not a limitation

Why we exist

95%

of adults in the UK with learning disabilities are unemployed

40%

of neurodiverse adults are unemployed

70%

of autistic adults are not in any form of paid work

Our Supporters

Sea Change
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