We're opening an Autism Able hub in Sunderland - and we want your ideas
AutismAble is opening a new hub in Sunderland - and they want your ideas on how to shape the service.
As reported in the Echo last week, AutismAble has bought the former shop building in Vine Place once occupied by Aphrodite.
Upstairs at the building will be a Sunderland base for AutismAble, who are a specialist service and wellbeing centre for neurodivergent people across the region, where it will host employability training, as well as hosting workshops in photography, music, wellbeing, crafts and more.
Meanwhile, downstairs will be called Wear and will house a coffee shop and bar on one side and a clothing store in the other half specialising in pre-loved clothes, from designer pieces to more independent brands, across a range of price points.
And the team is looking for suggestions on what people would like to see from the new AutismAble base, a regional service which already receives a lot of referrals from Sunderland.
Information event
AutismAble will host its first Sunderland information event at Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens on Friday, September 5 from 10am to 12pm.
You can hear about the plans for the new Sunderland hub as well as give your ideas on what you would like to see from AutismAble in the community.
There will be free refreshments from Sea Change and if you stick around you can get 10% off your lunch at the cafe.
Wear coming soon...
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Due to open in September, Wear will be a sister site to SeaChange in the Winter Gardens and South Shields, which is also run by AutismAble.
Sarah Farrell-Forster, CEO of AutismAble and SeaChange, said: “AutismAble was looking for a base in Sunderland because a lot of our referrals come from this area.
“My husband used to often shop in Aphrodite and I knew the shop from going in with him, so knew the site well and it seemed perfect.
“It’s such a great space and we thought it would be a waste not to do something for the public with the downstairs area, so we came up with the idea of having a shop.”
As well as speciality coffees, Wear will have a bar serving bottled craft beers, cans, wines and cocktails. There’s no kitchen at the site, but it will sell a range of items made at the kitchen at the Winter Gardens.