* What an incredible start to the new year for the campaign with so many new initiatives and more supporters coming on board, as well as benefits from all the fundraising efforts during the festive season, such as the £139.66 raised from Jon Watson's Make ME Crafts stall and the wonderful response to young Harrison Honey's JustGiving appeal. Please feel free to email us at: fundraising4me@gmail.com or post a comment on the blog or our Facebook page if you would like your ideas or events to be highlighted. Your amazing efforts at raising ME awareness and funds for this vital biomedical ME research are really making a difference and are more greatly appreciated than we can adequately express and here are just some examples ...
* One sponsor helped us to see the New Year in with a celebratory matching £100+Gift Aid donation to the One Day – One Pound event on 1st January! Many thanks to all who support this monthly event inspired by Ruth Gilchrist, by donating or spreading the word among family and friends that every £1 Invest in ME receives will be spent on biomedical research to help take us forward to our goal of proper medical treatment of this disease, myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).
* New for 2013 is a great idea by Sue Page that she calls “small change to change M.E.” Are you or someone you know in the habit of setting your loose change aside until it mounts up, or is it something you feel inspired to do during 2013 in aid of our cause? As with all the fundraising ideas, please don't worry if you can't afford to donate yourself, we value all efforts to raise awareness of the reality of myalgic encephalomyelitis and the need for high quality biomedical research aimed at making proper medical treatments available asap.
* Several new JustGiving pages were created during January in support of Invest in ME ...
Vivien Leanne Saunders wrote on her page, “I've never been particularly sporty! Well, this year I have decided to enter every running race I can, and I will have a fundraiser for Invest in ME for each one. I'm starting with the Alexandra Lap at Lancaster University, which will be the first race I've ever run! Thanks for your interest! Even if you can't donate for whatever reason, please take five minutes to visit http://investinme.org/ and read a little of what Myalgic Encephalomyelitis really means, and how it affects people's lives”.
Victoria Shorthouse running in the Worcester Marathon for Louise who has ME; Samantha Brown gave up her mobile phone for a whole week in January; Michelle Nix is doing a sponsored weight loss; Adam Werth wants to increase awareness of the disease; Amy Christian's idea is for people to be sponsored to read as many books as they can within a given time-frame. Jackie Robinson, Catherine Bligh and Dawn Guarnieri are among those joining Lesley Innes' in a PJ Day on ME Awareness Day 12th May in aid of Invest in ME. Luke Remnant is organising a Walk for ME event with a little help from his friends and signed up to join him in supporting Invest in ME so far are Tanya Mawer, Lesley Innes, Lianne Simon, and Rory the Dog on behalf of Tony Bradstock. The idea is for people who are fit and well to do a sponsored walk – anywhere for any length some time during May ME Awareness Week - on behalf of someone who is ill with ME or for their chosen charity in general. Click here to see the full list of all supporters raising funds for Invest in ME on JustGiving.
* Keela Too was delighted to announce that her daughters' school is going to put up a teacher's team and a pupil team to run the Belfast Marathon and that Invest in ME has been put forward as the chosen charity for this year.
* Many thanks to Stacy Hart and those of you who bid on eBay and bought her blinged up Hosung soft toy monkeys. Stacy has paid the full proceeds of £120 to Invest In ME and said, “So give yourselves a pat on the back, thanx again its mega appreciated :) xxx"
* Sue Head Evans' superb range of scarves has raised £350 for Invest in ME so far and she'd really appreciate your help to raise even more!http://www.facebook.com/SuesScarves4UnME
* Jane Hurst was pleased to announce that the total raised for Invest in ME from April to December 2012 from sales of her greetings cards and Nature photocards was a whopping £620 (this includes £55 in Collection tins at Morrisons). Jane said, “Thanks as always to Mum (Christine Hurst), Dad and Paul for all their help, and for selling so many cards at the Supermarket sales. It's really appreciated. xx" Jane's cards are here: Pack 1http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.156767279186.145229.639834186&type=3
Pack 2 http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.156759794186.145225.639834186&type=3
* Becky at Beansprouts was among the new people to join the wonderful Make ME Crafts Team. You can see the really lovely range of items they provide in aid of Invest in ME on the Make ME Crafts Facebook page and website. We also plan to add a full directory of sellers to the Let's do it for ME website as we go through the year, so please email us at fundraising4me@gmail.com with your seller contact details and any photos you'd like us to highlight.
* The Big Sleep for ME launched with great success in 2012 for ME Awareness Week and promises to be even bigger and better in 2013. Organiser Julia Cottam is currently updating the website with plans and ideas for all sorts of activities to suit supporters of all ages and levels of illness severity.
* There is also the SOBAFF charity walk which ends in London in time for the 8th Invest in ME conference on 31st May - wow, what a busy year ahead and how wonderful to have such support!
* The remaining calendars made by Let's do it for ME supporters for Invest in ME are reduced to £3. With 12 beautiful landscape photos, introductory info, and a different fact about ME at the foot of each page to help keep awareness going throughout the year, they are ideal if you'd like to buy one as a free gift for display where people will see them for your local GP surgery or health centre, waiting rooms, library, local shop etc.http://www.investinme.org/Calendars%202013.htm
Don't forget to browse through the pages on our main website for other ways and resources to help raise awareness and funds throughout the year and make 2013 lucky for some – Let's do it for ME!
More news to follow soon - meanwhile, thank you so much for your support!
