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A Newry social enterprise that started as a monthly meetup for new mothers has secured over £19,000 in National Lottery funding to run a series of wellbeing activities throughout 2026.
Seasons Coffee + Studio, based on Hill Street, will use the cash to deliver at least six projects including outdoor hiking, movement practices, and antenatal and postnatal education. The programmes are designed to get people together and create what the business calls a "third place" - somewhere that's neither home nor work where communities can connect.
Founded by Rosemary Deans in 2017, Seasons began after she experienced birth trauma and perinatal mental health challenges following the birth of her first child. Recognising the need for women with shared experiences to come together, she organised monthly gatherings in a local coffee house that has since closed. Through her own recovery, Rosemary discovered that movement practices like yoga, alongside talk therapy and intentional conversation over coffee, were crucial to her healing.
In 2020, Rosemary and her expanded team refurbished the derelict old post office building on Hill Street to open Seasons Coffee + Studio. The space operates as a community interest company - a social enterprise that functions as a public-facing business but uses its profits to do good in the community. This includes everything from gifting coffees to customers to offering accessible wellbeing activities such as talk therapy, drumming and laughter yoga.
The venue features a yoga studio with regular paid membership, a coffee house and therapy rooms. Its core paid services, including weekly yoga classes, breathwork, the coffee house and complementary and talk therapy, will continue to run alongside the National Lottery-funded activities.
Deans the founder of Seasons, said: "We're delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work in this way. Now, thanks to National Lottery players we will be able to run at least 6 projects to support health + wellbeing in 2026. The reason we called this project 'Third Place' is down to a long time supporter sending us a DM last year saying: Back in the 1900s, our grandparents had a third place - not home, not work, but that in-between spot where life breathed a little easier. A barbershop, a local cafe, the church steps, a garden bench, a park, a book club, a bridge table - no screens, no agenda, just regular faces and slow conversations. That's where stories were told, grief was softened, relationships mended, loneliness eased. Today, we've replaced it with doomscrolling in silence. Maybe we don't need more self-help books. Maybe what we really need is a third place again."
She added: "This encompasses what we do. What started as a meetup over coffee for mothers has now evolved into a beautiful third space for everyone."
The National Lottery Community Fund recently launched its strategy, 'It starts with community', which will underpin its efforts to distribute at least £4 billion of National Lottery funding by 2030. The funder has four key missions: to support communities to come together, be environmentally sustainable, help children and young people thrive and enable people to live healthier lives.
National Lottery players raise over £30 million a week for good causes across the UK. Last year, the National Lottery Community Fund awarded over £686 million of funding to communities across the UK, supporting over 13,700 projects.
Details of upcoming programmes at Seasons will be available on the business's social media channels, website and newsletter at www.seasonscoffeestudio.com
For more about The National Lottery Community Fund go to www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk
