Cafe with neurodivergent staff burgled overnight
BBCThe management of a cafe which employs neurodiverse people are "devastated" after the business was burgled.
Sea Change in South Shields, South Tyneside, saw its window smashed and its till, tip box and charity collection stolen during the night on Thursday.
Those behind the community cafe, which has been forced to close temporarily while the onsite team assesses the damage, said the door had been smashed a number of times since it opened, adding the latest incident had been reported to police.
A Sea Change spokesperson said it was "heartbreaking" that incidents such as the break-in continued to impact it and other businesses in the town.
"Although we have CCTV, it doesn't change the impact this has had on our team," a spokesperson said.
"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.
"Our staff team are incredibly upset, and we really appreciate your support."
The cafe was set up seven years ago to offer jobs to people with autism and learning disabilities, and has since expanded to open a second site at the Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens.
Its social media accounts have documented several instances of break-ins and damage at the cafe.
A previous incident took place in April when the window in the cafe's front door was smashed.
