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Wearside stories you might have missed

BBC Volunteers Ellie and Jack standing next to Jo Gordon behind the till at the Willow Tree Coffee and Kitchen. Pastries and sandwiches are displayed on the counter in front of them. They are all wearing white aprons. Ellie has straight blonde hair tied in a ponytail. Jack is wearing a black cap and has moustache. Jo has short, straight grey hair and she is wearing round glasses and a red beanie hat.BBC
Jo Gordon (right) says the cafe's inclusivity should be the norm

A multi-million pound culture hub, potential cuts for a major rail service and a cafe helping people with disabilities into work.

Here are some stories you might have missed on Wearside this week.

£27m culture hub sets sights beyond city

The building site of the multi-storey Culture House, covered in scaffolding. Two workers in helmets and high visibility clothing are walking on the structure.
Culture House is set to open in the autumn

Sunderland's £27m culture hub, due to open in the autumn, is aiming to attract people from all over north-east England.

Culture House in Keel Square will be home to the city's library, an immersion gallery, podcasting studios, events venue and a sky garden.

Director Leanne Littlewood said she hoped facilities and events at the site would appeal across the region and help raise the city's profile internationally.

"We want to bring people from all over the place, so the economic impact will be massive too," she said.

'Better support' to help disabled people into work

Katrina Brown and Jo Gordon sitting next to each other and smiling at the camera. Katrina's blonde straight hair is tied at the back. She is wearing a light grey sweatshirt. Both are wearing cream aprons and Jo has on a red beanie hat and is wearing glasses.
Jo Gordon (right) and Katrina Brown opened the cafe in Ashbrooke Sports Centre in November

The founder of a community cafe which helps people with disabilities into work has called for better government support to allow more employers to do the same.

More than 85% of team members at The Willow Tree Coffee and Kitchen in Ashbrooke, Sunderland, have a disability, while over half deal with mental health issues or are neurodivergent.

Founder Jo Gordon said what the cafe offered should be "the norm" but employers needed more support to help disadvantaged people into the workplace.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said it was going to introduce proposals in the spring for reforming the health and disability benefits system "to genuinely support disabled people into work".

Plans to cut trains between Durham and Edinburgh

Google Northbound platform two at Durham's station, overlooking the empty tracks. A screen is showing the next service to Newcastle. There are benches and bins. The roof of the platform is held by white and blue pillars. A group of passengers is waiting on southbound platform one across the tracks.Google
There would be fewer direct services between Durham and Edinburgh if changes are approved

Durham could lose almost half its direct train services to Edinburgh if timetable changes are approved.

Currently, about 29 services travel on a weekday between the city and the Scottish capital, but that could drop to 17 if new timings go ahead.

The changes also include the loss of a peak time LNER service, which is popular with commuters to Newcastle.

In a joint statement, LNER and Network Rail said, while timetable changes "may not satisfy everyone", they would benefit "the greatest number of customers across the north".

State of former welfare club a 'crying shame'

A large two-storey red brick building with a red door. It says "1910, Dawdon" on its front.
The hall in Dawdon, near Seaham, was funded by the work of local miners

A representative of a former pit village says locals feel let down after their miners' welfare club was sold with no apparent benefit to the community.

The hall in Dawdon, near Seaham, County Durham, was funded by local miners and featured in the film Billy Elliot.

But, after being auctioned off by the coalfield charity Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation (CISWO), the club, which was built in 1909, is now empty and has recently been used as an illegal cannabis farm.

Independent town councillor Bob Arthur says miners whose work helped finance its construction and running costs would be "turning in their graves".

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