Domestic abuse support volunteer supports Ryton cafe as “vital resource” amid council notice to demolish it
A domestic abuse support volunteer has championed a Ryton cafe on the verge of council enforced demolition, urging Gateshead Council to reconsider.
Sonia Rose Fradgley-Thompson, 57, who runs the domestic abuse survivors organisation ‘Glorious Girls’, has come out in support of Ryton cafe ‘Fed & Watered’, as the eatery’s dispute with the local authority continues. The cafe has remained open despite the local authority’s enforcement notice to take it down.
The volunteer and retired counsellor told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that cafes such as Fed & Watered operate not just as cafes but as valuable social spaces for the isolated, widowed, and elderly. Glorious Girls, along with other venues across the North East, is also supported by the cafe.
Sonia said: “The closure of Fed & Watered cafe would ripple far beyond its walls, leaving the most vulnerable in our community without a safe haven, a support network, or a place to belong. It is not just a business; it is a lifeline that uplifts those who might otherwise be forgotten.
“Removing this vital resource risks increasing isolation, unemployment, and hardship for those who most need it. When society allows such spaces to disappear, it sends a message that the needs of the vulnerable are secondary to bureaucracy and bias. Preserving Fed and Watereed is not just about saving a cafe – it is about safeguarding, compassion, connection, and the very fabric of our community.
“The council has a choice, to protect and nurture this lifeline or to leave a lasting void in the lives of those who can least afford to use it.”
Alongside Glorious Girls, the cafe also has a relationship with the animal therapy organisation ‘The Palomino Trust’. In earlier reports from the LDRS, locals have also praised the cafe as a safe space for people and children with special educational needs.
On January 7, Gateshead Council issued a statement upholding its decision to see the cafe closed and removed, citing the fact it was built without planning permission and council officer opinion that additional traffic poses a danger to children. This was prompted by the cafe’s owners’ third attempt to obtain retrospective planning permission for the cafe, which the council refused to consider.
Joanne Stanton, the owner of Fed & Watered, maintains that the cafe is open outside of school hours, 9am to 2:30pm, and does not pose a risk to children. In addition, a highways consultant commissioned by the cafe, Jon Pearson, also stated that a one-way system around the cafe would be sufficient to alleviate traffic dangers.
Council opposition leader, Coun Ron Beadle, has also previously called on council planners to met with the owners to work through what would be an acceptable application for the cafe.
The owner also stated that the vast proportion of visitors come on foot and do not contribute to traffic levels. Gateshead Council was approached for comment.