Saturday night out in Magherafelt with a difference at Hope Café

Hope Café which has been going for almost a year at Ditty’s in the middle of the town, has already attracted dozens of people of all ages with the simple purpose of making a connection.

Sophie Shiels who helps organise the sessions which run from 8pm till late every third Saturday in the month, explained how the idea for the get-togethers came about.

“A group of us came up with this, as we realises there were very little alternatives for people on Saturday nights other than heading to a pub or sitting at home watching really bad television,” she said.

“We welcome people from all backgrounds, not just church backgrounds, it’s about reaching out to everyone.

“At the start, we would have had speakers each night, but now it is much less structured. We have had people who are on a night out, come in for a cup of coffee and we always try to see that everyone gets home safely.

“It has been going really well and we have also had some very talented young musicians performing.”