2nd April 2026
The main hall at Walney Community Centre is filled with an air of quiet concentration, dotted with friendly chatter and laughter. Around a long table, people sit threading beads to make keyrings and pen toppers, while one worker has the delicate task of edging bunting with a sewing machine. On the far side, logos and personalised slogans are carefully printed onto mugs.
This is Stitch Ability, where neurodiverse and disabled young people and adults can learn new skills and gain real life work experience to help them into employment. They take a lead on designing, creating and selling their products.
Director Debbie Twinney explained: “The aim of Stitch Ability is to get people into work, but it can take years, building their self-esteem and confidence.
“We look at each individual’s needs and see where they can fit into the business world. Being self-employed is often a better fit for them than working for someone else.”
The group is a key pillar of A Stitch Different, a social enterprise set up by Debbie’s twin sister Amanda Bland in 2014 out of frustration at the lack of support for neurodiverse and disabled people and their parents and carers. Debbie joined the organisation three years later.
Simon is 38 and has been coming to the group for about four years. “It gives me something to focus on,” he explained, taking a break from engraving a name onto a wooden keyring. “For over 25s, there’s nothing to do. You’re just stuck at home. It boosts your confidence coming here.
“We do all sorts – not just stitching, all sorts of crafts. I’ve got good eyes so they use me for quality control. Putting decals on, that sort thing. We just have a crack.
“Mandy has an autistic son so she knows how to approach you without talking down to you. Other people just write you off without giving you a chance.”
Through Cumbria Community Foundation, the project was awarded funding from the DCMS Know Your Neighbourhood Fund, as part of Furness for You, allowing it to expand to support parents, carers and older adults dealing with anxiety, loneliness and grief. Many go on to volunteer with A Stitch Different.
Eighty-year-old Jackie turned to the group after losing both her sister and her husband within 16 months. “After I had bereavement counselling, they recommended I come here, but I was frightened of breaking down. I was really anxious, I didn’t want to come, but I did and it was brilliant.
“When you lose someone, it’s a loneliness no one can fill but these people did. Everyone was so friendly. I come for the joy of it now. I have made friends and I help others who come.”
Julie has been attending the sessions for about three years. “I found it hard to go anywhere, because of anxiety. The group helped me get over that. It has made such a difference to me. Now I volunteer and help others.”
The group sells the items they produce, with any profits reinvested or donated back into the community. They also take on bespoke orders for local firms and organisations, including story sacks for Barrow Library and printed T-shirts and hoodies.
Founder Mandy said: “A lot of people think it’s a sewing club but it’s so much more than that.
“We’ve always listened to what the community needs and adapted to meet those needs. We’re led by the people we encounter. Our USP is: the people the majority don’t want to work with, that’s who we work with. Whether they’re neurodiverse, disabled… they all have something to contribute.”
Debbie added: “We have one member who wants to be a fitness trainer and really wants to work with others who are neurodiverse so we’ve set up fitness classes here for people which he leads.”
Over the years, Mandy and Debbie came to realise that, for many of the people they supported, issues with poor sleep were making their situation far worse. They applied to the Community Foundation for funding to run a pilot one-to-one scheme for individuals suffering from sleep issues, receiving grants from the Barrow Community Trust Fund and the Brian & Ann Clark Fund.
The sisters are qualified sleep practitioners with Mandy being the only person trained in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBTi) in Furness, offering group therapy, workshops and one-to-one sessions. They also established the Furness Sleep Helpline.
Debbie said: “There are a number of reasons that sleep problems can develop such as bereavement, anxiety, stress and worry, disrupted sleep patterns through shift work and medical problems. Previously, there was no support available at all South Lakeland.
“Families repeatedly raised sleep as one of their most urgent unmet needs. Many shared that they had ‘nowhere to turn’, had been waiting years for assessment, or had tried strategies without guidance. This prompted us to develop specialist sleep services shaped directly by lived experience.”
The pilot directly supported 39 children – primarily those with ADHD or awaiting assessment – alongside their families. Children gained an average of 2.4 additional hours of sleep per night, with time to fall asleep dropping from over two hours to less than one.
A Stitch Different will be rebranding as the Furness Ability and Sleep Hub later this year to reflect the changing nature of the services provided. But there will always be time for a bit of quiet crafting over a cuppa and a crack.