Chat and Chill Cafe 'pay it forward' this Christmas with a hot drink for those in need

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Now the team have come up with a new way to help people who may be struggling over the winter months.

Josh Belshaw, one of the owners of the cafe, which was recently crowned Best Independent Coffee Shop at the High Street Heroes Northern Ireland Awards, was keen to help people who may be finding it difficult to make ends meet as the cost of living crisis continues.

Anyone who would like a cuppa to warm them up this winter but who may not have the money for it, can now get a free coffee thanks to the generosity of the local community.

"Growing up I lived in Ballymacash which of course is an extremely working class community,” explained Josh.

"As I’ve got older I’ve really found it hard to get into Christmas as I remember just how hard it was for everyone.

“Me and my three brothers shared a room so times are tough enough, dad having to would two/three different jobs 80 hours a week just to give us all presents.

"He was out all day in the rain and cold.

"I feel like this is just a small thing we can do to give back to people and try to get into the Christmas spirit a bit more.”

With help and advice from Jonathan Oates who runs the community cafe in Ballymacash, Josh and the team have set up a board outside the shop with receipts for a hot drink.

If you want to get a drink but can’t quite afford it, you can lift a receipt from the board and hand it to a member of staff who will happily make you a drink, with no questions asked.

People can also ‘pay it forward’ by paying for a cuppa for someone who is in need this festive season.

Just let the staff know and they will add a receipt to the board.

After winning their award earlier this year, Josh commented:

"The most important thing the cafe aims to do is make every single customer feel welcome and respected so we aim to have ‘personality in every cup.”