Good coffee.
Good food.
Good company.

Our story

A place where people naturally connect.

For more than 25 years, Sunshine House has been at the heart of the Scholes community, supporting local people and creating opportunities for them to come together.

As Sunshine House grew, it expanded into the former St Patrick’s Social Club — a building that many people will remember as a hub of the community in years gone by. After an initial refurbishment, the space was mainly used for events, activities and room hire.

Then the Covid pandemic changed things.

Social isolation increased, familiar meeting places disappeared and, for many people, simply getting out and connecting with others became more difficult. We also began to recognise another barrier. Walking into a traditional community centre, finding the right room and opening a closed door can feel surprisingly daunting — particularly for someone who is lonely, vulnerable or already lacking confidence.

We wanted to create something different.

Walls were removed, old beer cellars were transformed into kitchens and the former social club began another chapter of its life. Instead of corridors and closed doors, we created an open, relaxed and welcoming coffee shop where anyone could walk in, sit down and feel comfortable.

The idea behind On the Way was simple: sometimes the easiest way to help people connect is to create somewhere they naturally want to be.

Existing groups including New Friends, New Beginnings, the crochet group and the Crazy Wool Gang moved into the main coffee shop space. Rather than taking place behind closed doors, they became visible, accessible and, most importantly, welcoming. Someone can come in simply for a coffee and discover a group, activity, conversation or new friendship they might never otherwise have found.

We also knew that this new space needed its own identity.

After plenty of ideas, On the Way became the name — and it seemed to fit perfectly.

We’re based on St Patrick’s Way, so quite literally, we’re on the way. “Shall we grab a coffee on the way?” is something we all say. But the name also represents something much bigger.

Everyone is on their way somewhere.

Through a difficult period, towards a new friendship, trying something new, rebuilding confidence, learning a skill or simply getting through the day. Wherever somebody happens to be on their journey, we hope On the Way can be a positive part of it.

And our story is still being written.

We don’t want to become just another coffee shop. We want On the Way to continue evolving with the community around us. We want people to bring us their ideas, start groups, try new concepts, meet new people and help shape what this space becomes.

Because On the Way belongs to the community — and we can’t wait to see where we go next.