A grant from the Newcastle Building Society Community Fund is supporting the work of Vision Northumberland’s Chatter Box community café.
Vision Northumberland set up its Chatter Box café 18 months ago, following the pandemic, to give vision impaired people across the county a safe and welcoming place to go.
The café has around 30 customers visiting every week, with some being brought there by the charity’s team of volunteer drivers from as far as Berwick and Hexham.
The £1,500 grant will help Vision Northumberland give their customers free hot meals, tea and coffee to ensure that the cost of living crisis isn’t preventing anyone from visiting their café.
Julie Boyack, chief officer at Vision Northumberland, says: “We set up the Chatter Box café as a way of encouraging vision impaired people to get out into the community again, but we’ve been increasingly conscious of the impact of the cost of living crisis on our customers, especially as many of them are living on a very specific fixed income and don’t have much spare money.
“Being able to take away the worry about paying for food and drink at the café has made an amazing difference to the work we’re able to do – and what’s really special is being able to hear the laughter and chatter coming from the café every time we’re open.
“Newcastle Building Society’s support is having a big positive impact of people living right across the county and we’re really grateful for their help.”
Image caption: Morpeth Branch Manager, Lee Willis, and our Head of Conduct Risk, Suzanne Wood, in Vision Northumberland's Chatter Box café, with their Chair, Mala James, and Chief Officer, Julie Boyack.
Download the press release here.
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