Hobby became a job when illness struck

August 23, 2010

A woman who took up crafts after finding out she was suffering from a rare

neurological disease has transformed her hobby into a flourishing business.

Joni Davies started making her own cards and selling them at craft fairs when

she was told she had Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT) disease.

The 24-year-old said she wanted to be positive and concentrate on what she could

do, rather than dwell on the degenerative condition, which causes nerve pain and

fatigue.

She said: " I get exhausted. Every day I'm just really fatigued. I'm aching all

the time. It affects your hands and feet and then you can get so you don't walk

very well. "

But she said: " I don't want to just sit at home and cry about it. There's no

point. "

As well as the craft fairs, she started working at a Worcester gift shop called

Naturally Gifted, which has since closed.

She said: " It was really hard for me to do a proper job. I was on statutory sick

pay for a long time and then I had to stop that and go on to benefits.

" I really wanted to work but they would only let me earn £20 a week. After a

year, they wrote me a letter and said I had to go full-time or stop. "

Miss Davies did voluntary work at the shop for six months before deciding to

become self-employed.

In May this year, she set up a shop at 47b Upper Tything which she called

Bluebell's – her middle name – selling her cards as well as gifts, crafts and

jewellery made by 23 local artists and craftspeople.

She now works full-time in the business, which went ahead partly thanks to

funding from the Prince's Trust. She said: " I had to write a business plan and

do it all within a week.

She said: " I had to work hard to convince them it was a good idea. They loaned

me £3,000 and I used that money to set up and decorate the shop. It's a very

small front but it's like a Tardis when you come in. It's just a really nice

unique boutique. "

She has plans to hold an official opening this autumn after holding a

competition involving art students from RGS Worcester.

Recommended Posts