Many Happy Returns Doctor Who!

Today is The Day of The Doctor - 50th anniversary special on BBC1 tonight!

https://www.facebook.com/DoctorWho

What better way to celebrate the 50th birthday of this world famous series than to download and help spread the word of the companion audio produced by out-of-this-world Big Finish with 100% proceeds to Invest in ME? http://bigfinish.com/releases/v/many-happy-returns-775

100% proceeds to Invest in ME

Its release last year was featured in Doctor Who magazine.  All involved gave their time for free and all proceeds go to Invest in ME.  The initial £4454 raised helped the charity to fully fund the foundation research project at the University of East Anglia which began last month.

Some of the lovely writers, directors and actors involved met our "Let's do it for ME!" Bear. 

Lisa Bowerman and Ayesha Antoine

Scott Handcock

Katy Manning

Paul Cornell

Louise Jameson 

Simon Guerrier

Nicholas Briggs

Read all about it and see photos here: http://ldifme.org/many-happy-returns/ —

The history of Big Finish is told in Justyce Served by Alun Harris and Matt West, who are also generously donating their profits to Invest in ME and Amnesty International.

Authors' profits to Amnesty International and Invest in ME

The authors write:  In 1984 a group of Doctor Who fans began a project which would continue for another decade and eventually lead to much greater things.

Audio Visuals: Audio Adventures in Time & Space were a non-profit, fan endeavour creating full-cast audio Doctor Who drama. 27 plays later the majority of the creative team would go on to be involved with Big Finish, an officially licensed range of Doctor Who audio dramas.

For many fans Audio Visuals  seem almost canon. Nicholas Briggs was our Doctor. We remember the Daleks’ destruction of Gallifrey before it even happened on TV. We supported our Doctor through drug addiction, companion-loss and the horror of Justyce.

This book is a guide to those days. 

With contributions from Nicholas Briggs, Gary Russell, Nigel Fairs, John Ainsworth, Heather Barker, Patricia Merrick, Richard Marson, Jim Mortimore, Andy Lane and no doubt many others between now and September, all wrapped up in a new cover by Tim Keable.

Celebrate Doctor Who fan creativity at its very best.

The first review of the book was courtesy of Starburst Magazine

THE AUTHORS' PROFITS FROM THIS BOOK WILL BE DONATED TO AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL UK and INVEST IN M.E.

http://www.miwkpublishing.com/store/index.php?_a=product&product_id=7

Huge THANKS to all the above for helping to bring the research and treatment of this disease into the 21st century and giving us realistic hope for the future by supporting Invest in ME.

Let's do it for ME!

MANY HAPPY RETURNS: A HUGE THANK YOU!

"We'd like to take the opportunity to say a huge thank you to everyone who supported last year's Bernice Summerfield story Many Happy Returns, the celebratory release featuring a wealth of talent in front of and behind the camera. It's so far raised £4454 for the charity Invest in M.E. And it's still on sale!" 

Bernice Summerfield: Many Happy Returns is available on the website for only £10, as a download only, with all proceeds to Invest in ME charity, for biomedical research into myalgic encephalomyelitis (M.E)

A feature-length tale, it's written by Xanna Eve Chown, Stephen Cole, Paul Cornell, Stephen Fewell, Simon Guerrier, Scott Handcock, Rebecca Levene, Jacqueline Rayner, Justin Richards, Miles Richardson, Eddie Robson and Dave Stone and stars, amongst others, Lisa Bowerman, Stephen Fewell, Ayesha Antoine, Miles Richardson, Katy Manning, Nicholas Briggs, Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred.

Cast: Lisa Bowerman (Bernice Summerfield), Stephen Fewell (Jason Kane), Steven Wickham (Joseph), Miles Richardson (Irving Braxiatel), Louise Faulkner (Bev Tarrant), Harry Myers (Adrian Wall), Thomas Grant (Peter Summerfield), Ayesha Antoine (Ruth), David Ames (Jack), Marcus Hutton (Leonidas), Katy Manning (Iris Wildthyme), David Benson (Panda), Nicholas Briggs (The Curator), Sylvester McCoy (Late Arrival), Sophie Aldred (Dave Stone), Christopher Allen (Adam), John Ainsworth (Casino Robot), Gary Russell (Vice Chancellor) 

Big Finish produce an officially licensed range of Doctor Who dramas.  Here are some responses from fans of their Facebook page to the exciting announcement above:

"Great news. Having M.E myself, it would be great to see some breakthrough medically . Well Done Big Finish !"

"Amazing! Thanks again to everyone involved in this and being so generous in giving the proceeds to charity x"

"This was a truly amazing release. The scenes with Benny and Jason at the end literally had me sobbing my heart out. This is how to do an anniversary story, Doctor Who producers, I hope you've taken notes."

"I cried my eyes out as well at the end! Well done! Good story.. great characters and a good cause! How about another one next year!!"

"Congrats on money well raised."

Future archaeologist and adventurer, Bernice Summerfield, is the creation of top novelist, comics and TV writer Paul Cornell; an enthusiatic supporter of the Let's do it for ME campaign, having seen the devastating effects of ME first hand.  He has already done a lot to raise awareness by featuring characters with ME in his work.  Many Happy Returns was directed by John Ainsworth, Gary Russell and Scott Handcock; who also organised, produced, and generally ensured this happened. On its release in November, Scott had said:

'I was overwhelmed by how many people wanted to be involved with the project. Not only actors, but writers, sound designers, Toby at the Moat Studios - everyone! Everyone gave their time for Jac Rayner and her charity, Invest in ME, and this adventure has been truly worthwhile to pull together on every level!'

Upon receipt of the whopping cheque for £4454 earlier this week, Invest in ME said:

"This is quite an amazing achievement on top of what Scott already raised with his marathon running. It is a privilege to be supported by such generous people like Scott and his colleagues".
Many Happy Returns featured in an article in BBC Dr. Who magazine in October - you can see it on our website here - and you can see photos of Let's do it for ME Bear meeting some of the wonderful writers and cast in the photo gallery here. 

Bernice Summerfield: Many Happy Returns is available on the Big Finish website.   

A huge thank you to everyone involved in this production and to all supporting it!

You might also like: 

Justyce Served - A Small Start with a Big Finish - a book by Alun Harris and Matt West about the early days of Audio Visuals: Audio Adventures in Time & Space - the majority of the creative team went on to be involved with Big Finish.  The authors' profits from this book will be donated to Amnesty International and Invest in ME.

Running To Stand Still - an audio play about M.E. written by Barnaby Eaton-Jones. 

Our previous posts:
March 2012: Big Finish Helps Our Big Cause!
December 2012: Bernice Summerfield: Many Happy Returns Out Now!

December Updates

Total Raised so far - £73k!

*  We do hope you able are able to enjoy the best of the festive season this year. 

*  Thanks to the help and hard work of so many wonderful supporters, we are now over 70% on the way to the £100k target!

 *  Who could resist our adorable little LDIFME Teds all dressed up for winter – limited stock of this exclusive design. Handmade tug toys for your canine friends are also available. Click here for details of Teds and Tugs - many thanks to Annabel Luery!

*  Jane Hurst's Photocards make great gifts all year round: "Hi, We have put together some more photo cards. All photos featured were taken by friends and family all of whom, like myself have ME. The cards are printed on quality card and make lovely gifts, Thank You Notes, birthday cards etc. They are sold in aid of Invest In ME and The 25% ME Group. Cost is £3.99 per pack of 5 or £1 each. Postage is 75p per pack. You can pay by cheque or Paypal, just PM me for more details. Thanks ever so much."
Pack 1
http://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

*  If you have any friends or relatives who would kindly take a charity collection box to work or host a coffee and mince pie morning or New Year Party or have other ideas to support us by raising awareness and a few extra £1s during the festive season, that would be wonderful.

*  Invest in ME placed another advertisement in London Business Matters for December and January, in time for Christmas and New Year.  The ad highlights one of the research projects that we are helping to raise funds for. The ad first appeared in October and this time it is supplemented with an "editorial" piece about ME featuring Rosa's 21st Birthday Appeal.  Click here for details.

*  The Invest in ME elves have been snowed under, busily packaging the superb Christmas cards and 2013 calendar, produced by Let's do it for ME supporters, and posting them out across the globe. The cards include a message about Invest in ME and Let's do it for ME on the back and the A5 size is handy if you want to include an IiME or LDIFME leaflet as a bit of extra ME awareness-raising, and also guarantees that they will be noticed when on display. The calendar has a factual quote about ME at the foot of each page to keep awareness going throughout the year and so would make an ideal gift to be displayed at your health clinic or elsewhere on public view, and why not send a card to your health professionals and local MP too? Many thanks to all involved in the Christmas card photo competition and contributors to the calendar, with special thanks to Julia Cottam for all her hard work on organising and coordinating the cards and calendar project. Click here to order - repeat orders are coming in as people are so pleased with the quality.

*  To see the wide range of other cards, decorations, and gifts produced in aid of our worthy cause, please see the Christmas Shop on our sparkly new website created over several months by Let's do it for ME campaign co-founder, Jan Laverick. Links on the page include the gifted supporters who make up the ever-expanding team of crafters of all ages, led by Jon Watson. The more the merrier so please contact us or Jon if you would like to join in. Jon has also been running Make ME Crafts stalls at local events and the last before Christmas was on Saturday 15th December 2012 from 09:00 – 17:30 at Love Southsea Christmas Market, Palmerston Road in Portsmouth. Jon's ingenuity, hard work and unfailing enthusiasm is truly inspiring and we are really grateful to all who support his efforts, and those of the rest of the team.

*  The 1st of the month is the day on which we hope that as many supporters as possible will take us a few steps closer to our goal by donating just £1.  What a great way to herald in the New Year by inviting your friends and family to join this event on 1st January.  Every £1 counts so please share the link to the One Day - One Pound page widely as it is a monthly event and will continue throughout the coming year.

*  November saw the release of not one, but two, brilliant audio plays with all those involved in both projects having generously donated their time and talents so that every penny of the proceeds go to Invest in ME! Writers Jac Rayner and Barnaby Eaton-Jones are both members of the Let's do it for ME team and were the instigators of these projects in aid of Invest in ME. We are quite simply blown away by the extraordinary kindness and support they have received and we cannot thank them and their fabulous friends and supporters enough for their amazing dedication to the spirit of our campaign. You can find out “who's Who” and more besides about the Big Finish audio download “Bernice Summerfield: Many Happy Returns” on our website here, and about Barnaby's audio play “Running To Stand Still” here. Jac also ran a competition for extra ME awareness-raising, which closed on 5th Dec. Details on her blog here.

*  1st November marked two years since the lifetime ban on blood donation by anyone who has had ME and the brilliant ME Awareness track “I Can't Stand Tha Rain” by Mama Chill and featured on our website here, raised £50 for a Halloween event, many thanks to Mama Chill, aka Stacy Hart! 

*  Young Harrrison Honey got November off to a great start by creating his Just Giving page. He wrote, “Although it has been a year since I was in hospital due to M.E. I am still struggling with this awful misunderstood illness. I am still not in school and I want my life back as I knew it. I know many other children who are suffering with this illness too and I am in touch with them. They are also missing out on so many things like me. This is such a great cause, raising money to find a cure!!” We loved his update, “OMG, Speechless. After only the 2nd day of advertising my page I have already reached my target !!!! I have increased this now to £300 (double what I had originally hoped for). Thank you to everyone who has donated already. Harri =) Do take a look at his page here to see his latest update and the amazing amount he has been raising. Well done to Harri and many thanks to all his supporters and more news to come!

*  Young Maddi Kent and her wonderful family previously featured in a Make ME Crafts blog and have now raised over £1,000 including Gift Aid, through “Maddison's Bracelets”. We were deeply saddened and shocked to hear that the family has been struck by tragedy. Tristi posted this message on the Invest in ME Facebook group, “ just a quick message for those of you that havent heard. my eldest daughter (Maddi's elder sister) was on the pavement and hit by a drunk driver just over 2 weeks ago and had to have her leg amputated. hence things have been awful here and myself and maddi have had to put our ME fund raising on hold for now. when we can we will restart. in the meantime everyone keep up the amazing work you have been doing :) xxxxxxxxx” Our love and thoughts are with the family at this difficult time.

*  As said above, November also marked the 21st birthday of Rosa Amor. Severely ill and currently in a nursing home being fed by tube, Rosa was unable to celebrate in the usual ways that others of her age might, so instead she chose to use her special day to raise awareness and funds for the cause so close to her heart. We wrote about Rosa's 21st Birthday here - now updated as Rosa's Appeal is featured in an "editorial" piece about ME accompanying an ad by Invest in ME in London Business Matters magazine.  Rosa's Appeal is also in pdf here. The staff at the nursing home joined in with a pyjama day with all proceeds to Rosa's appeal and thanks to the support and generosity of a number of people, over £1600 was raised on the Just Giving page including Gift Aid. Goodwill messages were posted across the social networking sites and some people used Rosa's photo as their profile picture for the day. Her mother Julia said, “Rosa's Appeal has surpassed all our expectations. Check out the link to see her amazing total and all the different people who have supported her. We are so grateful to everyone.” Many thanks to Rosa and her family for their staunch support in helping to make hope a reality.

*  The above are some examples of all the amazing efforts to support our campaign, please email us at fundraising4me@gmail.com if you would like yours to be added and do keep checking as we hope to add news as it comes in throughout the month and to make our summary of updates a monthly feature. For all information about the Let's do it for ME campaign for Invest in ME, please see the main website and especially the Christmas Shop page! Thank you so much for your support - Let's do it for ME!

*Everyone at Invest in ME perfoms the charity's work for free and all involved in the Let's do it for ME campaign are also volunteers, either with ME themselves or parents/carers or generous supporters, giving their time, talents and their own money to support this vital cause* 

Bernice Summerfield: Many Happy Returns Out Now!

Posted by Big Finish Productions 30th November:

"Following the recent release of Doctor Who: Love and War, Big Finish is pleased to announce that a special Bernice Summerfield charity adventure - Many Happy Returns - is now available to download.

Celebrating twenty years of the popular archaeologist character first introduced in the Doctor Who New Adventures books, one-off drama Bernice Summerfield: Many Happy Returns reflects elements of Bernice's entire life and reunites her with a whole host of familiar faces.

'I was overwhelmed by how many people wanted to be involved with the project,' says producer Scott Handcock. 'Not only actors, but writers, sound designers, Toby at the Moat Studios - everyone! Everyone gave their time for Jac Rayner and her charity, Invest in ME, and this adventure has been truly worthwhile to pull together on every level!'

Invest in ME works to raise awareness and funding into research of ME, a serious neuro-immune condition that affects 250,000 people in the United Kingdom. Its latest project - Let's Do It For ME! - is a patient-driven campaign raising vital funds for a Centre of Excellence at the University of East Anglia. The centre aims to translate scientific findings and evidence from research into applicable treatments for people suffering from ME, focusing on immunology and virology.

The hundred-minute adventure is available to download now, and every penny from sales will go to supporting Invest in ME and its projects. Click on the product page now to order, and for full details of the cast and crew who have come together to celebrate Bernice's birthday!"

"Bernice Summerfield: Many Happy Returns" is featured on the LDIFME website here , you can also see photos of some of the lovely people involved meeting LDIFME Bear here.

Jac Rayner is a core member of the Let's do it for ME Team.  She said,

"Invest in ME have been busy creating hope, and now Big Finish have gift-wrapped little bits and put them in our Christmas stockings. Thank you so much to everyone who has worked on, bought, or otherwise supported this project. You’re great." 

To help celebrate all these achievements and raise ME awareness, Jac has devised a competition, click here for details and the prizes on offer, closing date is 5th December.

A big THANK-YOU to everyone involved at Big Finish from the Team at Let's do it for ME!

ps. Barnaby-Eaton Jones is also a fellow member of the Let's do it for ME Team. His audio play about ME, available for download and on CD, was released earlier in November and is featured on our website here, "Running To Stand Still".  Many thanks to all involved! 

Big Finish helps our Big Cause!



Lisa Bowerman and Ayesha Antoine

Big Finish Productions is pleased to announce a very special release to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of archaeologist and adventurer Bernice Summerfield. Many Happy Returns will be a unique feature-length drama where every penny will go to supporting the charity Invest in ME.

'Jac Rayner first approached Big Finish about possibly doing a small charity download late last year,' explains producer Scott Handcock. 'Gary Russell and I discussed the idea with David Richardson and quickly came to the conclusion that the Bernice Summerfield range would be the perfect platform - not least because of Jac's close connections with the character. So I started sounding out a few actors, writers, sound designers - as you do - and nobody we asked said no... so it ended up being the sort of epic rolling adventure we never anticipated!'

'It's amazing how many people have donated their time not only for Jac's charity, but for what will hopefully be a very special release for Benny fans. We've tried to reunite as many familiar faces as possible. It's the Bernice Summerfield equivalent of The Five Doctors - twenty years, a whole host of old friends, and all in the name of charity! I know I speak for everyone involved when I say it's been an absolute pleasure, honour and delight to work on - and one of the maddest days in studio we've ever had!'

Invest in ME works to raise awareness and funding into research of ME, a serious neuro-immune condition that affects 250,000 people in the United Kingdom. Its latest project - Let's Do It For ME! - is a patient-driven campaign raising vital funds for a Centre of Excellence at the University of East Anglia. The centre aims to translate scientific findings and evidence from research into applicable treatments for people suffering from ME, focussing on immunology and virology.

Big Finish stalwart Scott Handcock will also be running the Edinburgh Marathon in May on behalf of Invest in ME. For more information - or to sponsor him - please visit www.justgiving.com/scott-handcock/

Many Happy Returns will be released for download only later in the year. Please click on the link to pre-order and for full details on what the adventure has in store!

A BIG THANK-YOU to all involved with this fantastic project at BIG FINISH!

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