SKIPTON women Anne Clews and Jill Lawson have set up a support group aimed at people with chronic ‘invisible illnesses’.

Both women suffer from the types of chronic illnesses typically dismissed, misunderstood and generally under-funded.

But for people just like them the illnesses, which range from chronic fatigue syndrome (ME) and hypermobility syndrome to lupus, depression and anxiety, the conditions are life limiting and very debilitating.

What started out as backing with a number of followers on social media, has now become a group - the Skipton Invisible Illness Support Group.

It meets once a week at Christ Church, it organises speakers, and in August, Anne is planning to take part in a sponsored abseil down the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth.

“Our reason for doing something like this is that it highlights exactly how different a day can be for someone with a chronic illness,” said Anne.

“Some days I struggle at work or even to string a sentence together and would find any kind of physical or mental activity difficult. But on a good day I could do something as challenging as an abseil - this is why people with these kinds of conditions get misunderstood, are disbelieved that there is actually anything wrong with them and struggle to get the help and support they so desperately need on their bad days. I shall be proving a point and also raising money for the group.”

The women decided to set the group up after Anne was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in November and M.E in December. She tried to find a local support group, but there was nothing available.

Jill, who has cervical spondylosis, an arthritic condition of the neck, said she would help set up the group, and together, they received a massive response on the town’s community Facebook page.

The group, which has been going since January, has an online community of almost 200 people and meets every Monday, between 7pm and 8.30pm at the church hall. “As well as providing emotional support to each other, we also get regular speakers in who specialise in certain areas to tell us about treatments, ideas, ways of improving people’s everyday life. We have discovered first hand that attitudes to chronic illness is one of the biggest barriers - many people feel disbelieved, unsupported and misunderstood.”

And, they found people were often brushed off as being work shy, lazy, or attention seeking.

“But, this could not be further from the truth. Those suffering from these chronic conditions used to be the ‘doers’, the ‘helpers’ the selfless ones who would put the needs of others before their own,” she said.

The group is flourishing, and in order to continue and grow, needs funding to pay for room hire, resources, and other ways to make a positive difference to its members.

Anyone able to help, or wanting more information about the group, can contact Anne and Jill by email on invisibleillnessangels@gmail.com