Closed cafe reopens after anonymous donation

James Usher said he was in "tears" after the anonymous donation

A cafe which had to close for a month because of a dispute with its energy firm has reopened after an anonymous donation.

The SeaGlass Cafe in Sunderland city centre was unable to trade after its electricity supply was cut off on 2 September.

Manager James Usher said he had lost thousands of pounds in trade and a further £4,000 worth of food had to be thrown away.

But he said he was "in tears" after a woman came forward to cover the cost of the bill to help him reopen.

"We did have a bit of cry," Mr Usher said.

"She said 'don't cry, just get the place open'.

"Once the lights were on, we were cracking on and getting the whole place scrubbed down and cleaned down, and getting the stock back in."

The cafe reopened to customers over the weekend

Mr Usher's energy firm had asked him to pay a larger monthly amount than planned as he had used more electricity than he had estimated.

A payment plan was set up for the arrears but he was then sent an additional invoice for the full owed amount, which he disputed.

The firm said he had not met his repayments - something Mr Usher denied - and cut off his power supply, leaving the business unable to open.

Jane Petrie and her daughter Eden have food intolerances and said finding a venue specialising in dealing with allergens was difficult

Mr Usher said he had been inundated with support when he reopened.

"I've never received so many hugs in one day, so many customers coming and so happy to have us open again," he said.

"It reminds me of how much this little area of Sunderland is a community."

The cafe specialises in providing food for people with food allergies and intolerances.

Customer Jane Petrie said it was difficult to find somewhere to eat as a family due to her and her daughter Eden's dietary requirements.

"The fact that we have been able to find somewhere that caters for both of us and has such a wide selection of choices is amazing," Ms Petrie said.

"Normally we have to have a bag of things that Eden can eat as well."