The owners of a cafe in South Belfast have spoken about initiatives they have been running to support their local community through the cost of living crisis.
First Avenue Coffee Company have been running a free breakfast club and seniors lunch from the Ormeau Road and Stranmillis Road cafes since the second week of December.
Owners Shona Furey and Patrick O'Kane said they were inspired to launch the initiatives after a suggestion from Patrick's mum, and after they held a seniors Christmas lunch for Ballynafeigh Community Association.
The free breakfast club is on every weekday from 7am until 9am for school kids, who can say 'breakfast club' to a staff member and they will get cereal and toast and milk or juice.
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The free seniors lunch, which is on every weekday from 2pm until 4pm, means any older person can come in and ask for a 'late lunch' where they will either get soup or stew, a roll and a cup of tea.
"We were shocked to see so many local people needed the help, so wanted to do something for school kids and those who maybe aren't able to get out as much," Patrick told Belfast Live.
"It's more than just a cup of tea and a bowl of soup, you might be one of the only people that person talks to that day. We're always here for a chat and here for people who need that help and support.
"We've had people coming in every day, and still have lots of food left over every day, so definitely have the room for more people to come in if they need it."
Originally intending the initiatives to be running until the end of winter, Patrick said they will be running them until the end of February but could see it going on longer than this.
He said: "We realised it's not getting any warmer, and the cost of living isn't going down. Those people who needed the support during winter aren't going to stop needing it any time soon."
Patrick said they've seen "really great community spirit" since launching the clubs, with people coming in wanting to donate and help out, as well as local shops wanting to do their bit to offer support.
He added: "Local charity shops, Tesco, Centra, and Mace have been helping us by putting signs up. They see people locally who need the support, people who maybe wouldn't normally come into the cafe but who could make use of the breakfast club or lunch club.
"We've had people coming into the cafe asking to donate money. Regular customers have even been coming in and handing us envelopes with £10 in as they're wanting to help support what we're doing.
"Due to the number of people asking to leave donations, we now have a donation pot in the shop. We've even had people from the likes of Dublin getting in touch asking how they can help."
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