Second cafe staffed by disabled workers to open
BBCA cafe staffed by people with autism and learning difficulties is to open after the "success" of another venue.
Sea Change, which is based in South Shields, South Tyneside, has expanded to the Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens.
The organisation was flooded with donations after it received a £20,000 energy bill last year. The charge was later scrapped with the cash instead used to open a second site.
Sarah Farrell-Forster, who set up the community interest charity (CIC) six years ago to offer jobs to people with disabilities, said there was "incredible support" to "continue our mission".
Six full-time mentor and support roles have been created, while some existing workers have been helping to get the site ready.
However, there are plans to recruit several more trainees who either have learning difficulties or autism to work at the cafe.
Ms Farrell-Forster, from Sunderland, said: "It's a very significant day.
"We are moving into a city which is amazing, into a public building which we hope will get us noticed and known in the city.
"[It will] attract people from the neurodiversity community and support them into employment."
She also said it was "exciting" but admitted the expansion onto Wearside had been daunting.
"A few [workers] have already been to visit, helping out and getting it ready, it's a lot bigger than South Shields so there was a bit of anxiety, but now they love it."
Following the cost-of-living crisis, the original venue saw a 400% increase in energy payments and was hit with a £20,000 back-dated bill, which Ms Farrell-Foster said meant it could close.
However, after the BBC contacted its energy provider the debt was waived, while more than the original amount was raised by donors from across the country.
That money has been used to fund the launch of the cafe's second venue.
Ms Farrell-Forster previously thanked the public for their "overwhelming support".