A MUM-of-three has set up a new support group for people who suffer from a long-term condition which causes excruciating pain all over the body.

Cath Farrer, from Clayton-le-Moors, said there was ‘next to no help’ available for fibromyalgia sufferers when she was diagnosed 20 years ago, so has set up the group in Burnley to ensure newly-diagnosed patients get more support than she received.

About 12 people turned out to a launch party at the East Lancashire Voluntary Services Resource Centre in Burnley yesterday, including the town’s mayor Andy Tatchell.

The neurological condition, which is similar to chronic fatigue syndrome, is thought to affect about one in 20 people to varying degrees, but experts do not know what causes it.

It causes pain all over the body, numbness, crushing fatigue coupled with insomnia, and an inability to handle even mild changes in temperature or light.

Cath, 58, who lives in Burnley Road, said: “There was hardly anything out there to help when I was diagnosed.

“I had been going to a support group in Blackburn more recently, but I thought I could do a better job myself, and this new group will make it easier for people in and around Burnley.

“We’ve got some funding for six months and I think it’s going to be really popular, because there are people suffering from this condition right across East Lancashire.”

Cath, who used to work for TML, a manufacturing firm in Accrington, said she had to quit work when she was diagnosed, due to the constant pain and tiredness.

She has also called for better recognition of fibromyalgia by doctors and health officials, as it can often take years for sufferers to be diagnosed, while she knows of several sufferers who have had their benefits slashed under government welfare reforms.

The group will meet at the Resource Centre in Yorkshire Street on the second Wednesday of each month, from 1pm to 4pm.

Call Cath on 01254 606990.