Sea Change CIC

29/06/2026

Because of everything that has happened over the last couple of days following the burglary, we’ve been delayed in sharing our heartfelt thanks to this wonderful lady, Liz Hatch and her family.

Last Thursday, we were incredibly honoured to receive a donation of £572.80 following her funeral the day before. In her memory, she had asked for donations to be made to Sea Change instead of flowers.

We are so grateful that she chose to support us in this way. Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones, and we cannot thank them enough for thinking of us at such a difficult time.

Your kindness and generosity will help us continue supporting the people who rely on Sea Change every day. ❤️

27/06/2026

We are so happy to say that all of our cafés are open today! ❤️

To all of our friends, customers and supporters – you are amazing. The support you’ve shown us since we opened our doors this morning has been overwhelming, and we honestly can’t thank you enough.

We also have some incredible news… the Crowdfunder that kindly set up for us has already reached its target, helped along by an incredibly generous £100 donation made in our café this morning! ❤️

A huge thank you to Nicola for organising it, and to every single person who has donated, shared the fundraiser, visited Sea Change, or sent kind messages of support. It truly means the world to us.

If anyone would still like to donate, any additional funds will go directly towards strengthening our security, including installing a more robust back door and other security improvements, while also supporting our wider mission of creating opportunities for neurodivergent people.

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/shutters-for-sea-change-cafe

From all of us at Sea Change, thank you.

Over the last 24 hours you’ve reminded us that kindness will always outweigh cruelty, and that we have an incredible community standing behind us. ❤️

26/06/2026

A message to our followers and friends

This is a really tough moment for our community, and a difficult story to tell.

On 25th June, our South Shields café was broken into overnight.

It’s a huge blow to our mission: to give our amazing and ambitious neurodivergent members the employment, training and social opportunities they deserve.

Vital equipment that makes our till and payment system easier to understand, see and operate for staff with complex needs has been stolen. This includes our EPOS iPad system, as well as the cash that was in the till.

Our tips jar and charity boxes were also taken, so money has been stolen directly from our cause.

There has also been damage to our front window, back door and blinds. We’re not yet sure of the total cost, and it’s likely we’ll be reporting further losses once the police close the crime scene and give us a full report.

It feels like a really dark moment for our community. We have had some lengthy conversations today about whether we should even reopen again. But we do not want this break-in to be the defining moment for our café, our staff, or our community.

Appealing for support when so many in our community are struggling is never something we feel comfortable with. But if anyone feels able to help get our café back on its feet, so we can keep sharing good food, smiles and opportunities for incredible neurodivergent people, it would be appreciated in a way that words can’t really capture.

We are looking into getting security shutters installed as soon as possible. We have been informed that we need planning permission, so we will be starting that application immediately.

How can you help us?

Your support in this moment, whether by sharing our story on social media or with friends and colleagues, would be amazing.

In spite of the break-in, we’re aiming to re-open tomorrow, Saturday 27th June, more determined than ever to keep doing what we do.

If you’re feeling peckish or thirsty, we’d love to see and serve you. Every item you buy can help our recovery.

We don’t currently have our proper till system, but we will be running a makeshift cash drawer and have a card reader. Please bear with us while we find our feet.

We are aware that a few lovely people have set up various Crowdfunder pages today. This can be confusing, but if anyone does want to donate, we have made this page the official one:

https://crowdfunder.co.uk/p/shutters-for-sea-change-cafe

Your support, in any form you can offer, will help us recover from this crime, keep our vital community resource open, and strengthen our mission to improve the lives of neurodivergent people in the North East.

Thank you, from all of us at Sea Change.

To raise enough funds to install security shutters at Sea Change Café and recover losses from the recent break-in.

26/06/2026

An Update

First, and most importantly, thank you to everyone who has sent messages of support.

Since news of the break-in spread, we’ve been completely overwhelmed by your kindness. The messages and offers of help have meant so much to us.

We’re working our way through every message and will reply to each one. It’s taking us a little time, so please bear with us.

We’re now able to share a small clip of the CCTV footage from the break-in during the early hours of this morning.

It hasn’t been easy to watch. Whoever did this appeared to know the café, the layout, and exactly how to get out through the back. It seems likely this is someone who has been through our doors before.

So far, we know they stole our entire EPOS system, including the iPad, cash drawer, both of our charity collection boxes, and the staff tips. They also caused damage to windows, blinds and doors. We’re continuing to review the CCTV and assess the damage.

The person is masked, but if you recognise anything about them, or have any information that could help, no matter how small it may seem, please pass it on to the police.

Finally, thank you again for the incredible support you’ve shown us. It’s been a difficult day, but your kindness has reminded us what an amazing community we’re part of.

26/06/2026

We are devastated to let you know that Sea Change South Shields has been broken into again, this time on a much bigger scale.

Our hatch window has been smashed in and our till, tip box and charity collection box have been stolen. We are still assessing the damage and waiting for the police to arrive, so there may be more missing.

Although we have CCTV, it doesn’t change the impact this has had on our team. It’s heartbreaking that this continues to happen to us and other businesses in our home town of South Shields.

As a charity and social enterprise, we already live month to month. Incidents like this set us back even further and directly affect the work we do supporting neurodivergent people into employment.

Unfortunately, we have to close today while we deal with everything. We’ll update you later today on whether we’ll be able to open this weekend.

Our staff team are incredibly upset, and we really appreciate your support.

23/06/2026

🥗 Salad of the Week 🥗

You need this in the weather we’re having! ☀️

Fresh new potatoes, tender broccoli and creamy feta, all tossed in a delicious lemon dressing.

Available as:
💚 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan

Pop into our South Shields café and give it a try while the sunshine lasts!

19/06/2026

✨ Heroes, Villains & Magical Moments! ✨

Last night, our Sea Change ‘The Wonder Club’ celebrated Learning Disability Week in true Disney style with a fantastic Heroes & Villains Party! 🦸‍♀️🦹‍♂️👑

A wonderful evening was had by all, filled with laughter, friendship, music, and some truly amazing costumes. From heroic princesses to mischievous villains, everyone embraced the theme and made the night extra special.

And as for the staff team… well, you might not recognise us! 😄

Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make it such a memorable celebration. 💙

15/06/2026

Do you see me? 👀💜

This week is Learning Disability Week — Monday 15 to Sunday 21 June — a celebration of the amazing things people with learning disabilities bring to our communities.

This year's theme, "Do you see me?", is about people with a learning disability being seen, heard and valued, and about challenging the barriers they still face.

At AutismAble, around 50% of the people who attend our service are autistic and also have a learning disability.

We know every person is unique, with their own strengths, talents, interests and goals — and this week is a chance to celebrate that.

Join us across South Tyneside this week:

🏊‍♀️ TUESDAY 16 JUNE
Triathlon at Haven Point, 9:30am–1pm

Watch staff and members alike take on the triathlon test!

🎬 WEDNESDAY 17 JUNE
Westoe Crown Community Hub, 1pm–3pm

What better way to celebrate Learning Disability Week than with a trip to Oz, where the best thing you can be is "Wickedly Unique". Free to attend, with the option to pre-book a cooked meal for £5.

To book, email [email protected]

🦸‍♀️ THURSDAY 18 JUNE
NeuroDivergent Wonderclub at Sea Change CIC, 6pm–9pm

Don't forget to have your best hero or villain costume ready!
Entry is £5, with face painting available for an extra 50p.

🎶 FRIDAY 19 JUNE
Live performance at the Amphitheatre, 1pm–3pm

Come and enjoy live performances from some of our amazing bands.

There is also a fantastic programme of events happening across South Tyneside, hosted by AutismAble and other disability providers. Find the full list here: http://www.southtyneside.gov.uk/LDWeek

Let's celebrate people with learning disabilities being seen, heard, included and valued — this week and every week. 💜

13/06/2026

We're incredibly proud to share another success story from our amazing trainees! 💛

Kieron, our brilliant trainee chef, has moved on to an unsupported role at The Fountain Pub! 👨‍🍳

Here’s a special message from Kieron himself: “Thank you so much everyone for helping me learn and get myself ready for my next step in life I have thoroughly enjoyed working with every single person who I have worked with in my time at Sea Change and I can't thank the supervisors enough for the support they have given me.”

We're so proud of you Kieron, and we know you're going to be brilliant!

12/06/2026

📣 We are looking for Trustees and Directors to join The Inclusionists Board!

This is an opportunity to become part of our growing organisation at an exciting stage in our journey - helping shape strategy, champion inclusion and influence meaningful change across the North East and beyond.

Our board oversees and supports all initiatives within The Inclusionists, including AutismAble, Sea Change CIC, Future Collaborations, WEAR and Youth Hub.

We are looking for people who:
🔵 Believe in inclusion and opportunity
🔵 Want to create meaningful change
🔵 Bring lived experience, professional expertise or fresh thinking
🔵 Care about communities and people
🔵 Are collaborative, compassionate and ambitious

You do not need previous board experience to apply! We welcome applications from people with lived experience of neurodiversity and from individuals whose voices are often underrepresented in leadership and governance.

To express your interest in joining The Inclusionists Board, please send:
🔵 A copy of your CV or LinkedIn profile
🔵 A short supporting statement about why you’d like to join us

Applications and informal enquiries can be sent to: [email protected]

We are happy to arrange informal conversations before applying and can support any access requirements throughout the process!

Click here to find out more:https://theinclusionists.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Trustee-Director-Recruitment-Pack-The-Inclusionists.pdf