An online club is helping disabled and chronically ill people make friends and find community through crafting.
The Slowcial Life, formerly the Chronic Craft Club, is a craft club people can participate in remotely, filling a niche for many disabled people unable to get out and about.
“It’s been life-changing for me. It genuinely has,“ says Heather, who lost a lot of friends when she became sick seven years ago.
“It’s just nice to not have to explain why to everyone about everything, and to have someone that isn’t going to be freaked out by all of the hospital nonsense, or get funny with you if you have to cancel to rest.”
Since the club started, she’s been to every single session.
“I met my absolute best friend through it,” the 28-year-old adds. “It’s my only form of community, unless you count the really nice receptionist at the hospital that always asks me how I’m doing.”
In the last decade, the estimated number of disabled people has increased by 4.9 million, according to government statistics.
But Mo Cahill, the club’s founder, says the disabled community – and particularly those with energy limiting conditions – are frequently forgotten and ignored.
Each month, she sends out hand-decorated cardboard packages with all the necessary equipment for an activity, and then facilitates two (optional) zoom craft sessions where people can come together to chat and follow along.
Crafts so far have ranged from candle painting, to scrunchie making, to crafting self-affirmation cards.
Packs cost £19, including postage, but each month some packs are available at a reduced cost for those unable to afford the standard price.
While the project began as an in-person ‘Craft Brunch’, as Mo became sicker, it moved online.
She says: “Although now I would say maybe 98% of people that come to sessions have an energy limiting condition, maybe they’ve got ME or Long Covid or something similar, in all honesty, that wasn’t a community I was thinking about when I started Chronic Craft Club.
“Even though I had an energy limiting condition, I didn’t know what it was, and I didn’t know that term.”
But when she received an overwhelmingly positive response to the first session back in October 2024, “then I was like, oh, I found my people”.
Responding to the clear need for more accessible communal spaces, the Slowcial Life has also expanded to include Doodle & Chat sessions and quizzes and has hopes to expand further.
“Finding Mo’s corner of the internet and the creative sessions she runs has been a life saver,” says Salma, who identifies as disabled and chronically ill.
“It’s been something to look forward to and a chance to socialise with others who really get what it’s like living with a life limiting condition such as ME/CFS.
“Mo’s sessions are really well thought out and well researched, you can tell she really cares about what she does and us as a community.”
This is where the craft club fills such an essential gap, as it is a chance for people to socialise with people in similar situations to them outside of a specific support group.
Support groups can be difficult for those who may be on the ‘sicker’ end of the spectrum, or more simply, not the escape they might be looking for.
Siân Brand, the Chair of the Social Prescribing Network, which promotes the benefit of social activities and inclusion for health and wellbeing, said: “Creating and crafting together online is about far more than just the art activity itself.
“For people living with chronic health conditions, it offers supportive human connection, shared understanding, creativity and purpose – all recognised as key determinants of wellbeing.”
While sending out the kit boxes is the most expensive and time heavy aspect of the group, to Mo it’s worth it.
“I think there’s something about me having the same thing that you have and the same thing that XYZ person has, which feels.. I don’t know how to articulate it, but it feels important, it feels valuable, and all those things feel really important to me,” she says.
Heather emphasises how much she enjoys getting the boxes, saying her postman always comments on the ‘special box’ she receives monthly.
However funding is an everpresent issue in Mo’s mind.
Receiving a grant from the Arts’ Council England has allowed her to hire a small team to assist with the day-to-day running of the community, but more importantly has given her extra time to look into other funding opportunities.
She hopes to find corporate sponsorship to ensure the community is sustainable long term, because now she can’t imagine doing anything else.
She says: “Chronic craft club gives me a reason to get out of bed, or like, a reason to work in bed.
“I love disabled people. I think they’re great.
“It is the pleasure of a lifetime to be able to be in a space where I get to regularly engage with so many amazing people.”
Featured image credit: Mo Cahill.
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