The Big Sleep for M.E. is back for 2013!

Following the great success of last year’s event, The Big Sleep for M.E. is back for 2013. And this year with your help, it’s going to be even bigger and better! This fun and inclusive awareness and fundraising event for the UK Centre of Excellence for ME, includes a mass sleepathon that runs throughout ME Awareness Week 6 – May, as well as an opportunity to hold your own ‘sleep inspired’ event, such as PJ parties, PJ Pride Days and Sleepwalks, Sleep-cycles and more, so that even more people can get involved.

The ‘Sleepathon’ is extremely easy and flexible to take part in and means that anyone, even those with severe ME, can do their bit. All you need to do is lie back, make yourself comfortable, and, if you really want to, sleep! Do it at home or anywhere that takes your fancy, either on your own or as a group. And if you feel like it, dress up for the occasion. If fundraising, just get people to sponsor you, and for awareness, just let others know you’re taking part. The same applies if you are holding your own ‘sleep inspired’ event.

Whilst the Sleepathon takes part during ME Awareness week this doesn’t mean you can’t have your own sleepathon or ‘sleep inspired’ event at other times of the year. We need to keep up the pace if we’re going to beat ME!

The Big Sleep for ME has expanded massively since last year, and to get in the party mood it will be running a number of competitions and special events, including ones for children. There’s even a special Kids’ Den webpage for children with activities and competitions. It’s a fun way for them to get involved and keep them busy.

The event now also has its own online shop where you can buy Big Sleep merchandise such as sleepwear, tops and, the very popular Big Sleep Bear, that comes complete with his very own nightcap. For those on a budget, there are free stickers and transfer downloads.

The Big Sleep for ME was set up to fill the need for a completely inclusive ME event that anyone, including those with severe ME, could take part in. Given the limitations severe ME imposes, a great deal of thought went into what kind of event could take place. In the end, the solution was so obvious. Since, many with ME have to spend a lot of time lying down either on a sofa or in bed and some sufferers are completely bedbound, why not turn this into something positive and have a mass sleepathon. The Big Sleep for ME was born! Whilst the event now encompasses all manner of ‘sleep inspired’ events and is about having fun, it also has a serious side which is to not only raise much needed awareness and fundraising for the Centre, but also to increase awareness of ME generally.

There are so many ways to get involved and the fantastic thing about The Big Sleep for ME is that everyone, from sufferers to healthy supporters, can unite together to do something positive for ME.

If you want to find out more, the event’s website is a good place to start. The event also has its own Facebook page and is on Twitter, you can also email them. If you fancy taking part, the team has set up a group JustGiving page which you can join to make it even easier for you, and there are extensive online tools and information to help as well. You need to register to take part, but as thank you, you’ll be entered into a Free Prize Draw. The team have introduced this to keep track of everyone and plan for future years.

If you can’t take part, but would like to support the event you can always sponsor someone you know, or make a donation to The Big Sleep for ME fundraising group via its JustGiving page or by texting BSME99 to 70070 with the amount you would like to give (for example BSME99 £5 to 70070).

With special thanks to Julia Cottam from our ‘Let’s do it for ME’ team for thinking this up, and for all the hard work she’s put into developing and launching this inclusive and positive venture, as well as to everyone taking part.

We can all make a difference to ME!

ME Awareness Materials

Share our Fb photo with attached links of ways to donate
and raise awareness

First posted for ME Awareness Month in May, the good news is there's now a range of easy ways for you to raise awareness all year round of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis - all far easier than spelling it!

In previous posts we've highlighted our Standard and Designer Spreadshirt shops and Carmel's ME Awareness shops. They each provide a wide range of awareness items and all funds generated go directly to Invest in ME and biomedical ME research in Norwich. But there are many more ways to raise awareness if you aren't in the market for a new t-shirt, teddy or mug.

LDIFME Leaflets

Print-off our leaflets and hand them out to friends and family, to your GP or consultant or to local journalists - along with some details of your story if possible. Our leaflets give a simple explanation of our campaign and list ways your friends and relatives can get involved including raising funds for free whenever they shop online. Giles Meehan's video explanation of our campaign is also a good way of getting relatives, friends, medical professionals, or maybe your MP up-to-speed.

Badges

Our badges come in packs of 5 with £1 raised for biomedical research. Badges can be re-sold with profits going to Invest in ME or given away to raise awareness. Pin them to a coat, bag or briefcase to raise awareness on the go or give them as a gift to friends and relatives to wear to highlight our cause.

Invest in ME Posters

The BIG CAUSE slogan is used to emphasise the great need for proper research into this disease - something that has been lacking in any government strategy over the years. IiME International Biomedical Research Conference leaflets and Burst Our Bubble campaign posters are also available and IiME can provide ME Awareness support packs.

Various ME Awareness Posters

We have seven poster designs available that have been created in support of Let's do it for ME and Invest in ME charity by members of the Let's do it for ME planning group. All of which are free to save, share and print for awareness raising purposes. With thanks to all those involved in the making of these posters, and to those who feature in them and have given permission for the use of photos. Take your pick and put them up in your hallway or window, your doctor's waiting room or local library - seek permission first where necessary.

www.thebigsleepforme.com

The Big Sleep for ME

Julia Cottam's Big Sleep awareness and fundraising event is all about inclusivity and there are different degrees to which you can get involved depending on your ability level and available free time. The 'lightest' option is as simple as it gets TEXT BSME99 and the amount you wish to donate, for example BSME99 £5, to 70070. Then smugly put your feet up and do nothing for as long as you wish in the comfort of knowing you are doing it for charity and supporting people with ME and biomedical ME research!

Wrist Bands

Blue "www.investinme.org - Support Biomedical Research into ME" wrist bands are available in packs of 5 from Invest in ME. We also have a wide selection of other awareness bands and bracelets available from Make ME Crafts a website set up to sell crafts in support of LDIFME and Invest in ME. Whether it's paracord or pearls that float your boat wear them with pride and sell them to friends, family, work colleagues - even in your local library, GP surgery or hospital.

Bumper Stickers

Buy yourself, your friends or family one of these awareness raising car bumper stickers to highlight the need for biomedical ME research all year round, versions are also available with Invest in ME's details on.

Voices from the Shadows

DVDs of the award winning documentary film Voices from the Shadows are available at a minimum cost for individuals to buy for themselves, their friends and family and to give to professionals to view privately. Copies are also available with public performance rights - i.e. for use in libraries, screening at conferences, use within an educational institution, training sessions for professionals, screenings for ME groups etc. both from the VftS Shop. The film can also be watched worldwide online at MUBI

Lost Voices

Voices from the Shadows film developed from Lost Voices a book available from Invest in ME that contains stories and photographs from people with severe ME and their families and carers. Art has the power to move people, and combined with documentation Lost Voices brings the situation more vividly to life.

And of course you can always point people towards this site or share this post via email, twitter or Facebook. Or maybe even Pin some of our pictures if you've joined the virtual pinboard site Pinterest - all of these sharing options are available from the 'Share It' gadget directly under the blue Donate button at the top of the right side bar  ---> 

However you decide to raise awareness this year - Let's do it for ME!

The Big Sleep for M.E. has arrived!

The Big Sleep for M.E. has arrived - so start plumping those pillows now!

Start: 6/5/12 00:00:01 Finish: 12/5/12 23:59:59

The Big Sleep for M.E. was Julia Cottam’s idea to create a fun, easy and inclusive event to raise awareness and money for the UK Centre of Excellence for ME that would coincide with ME Awareness Week.

The event is extremely flexible. All you need to do is lie back, make yourself comfortable, and if you really want to - sleep; a sort of mass sleepathon. Anyone, anywhere can take part. You can take part for just a day or the whole week if you like. Why not wear some silly sleepwear or an outrageous nightcap, as Julia’s proudly modeling, to make it even more fun! Anything goes - from your everyday comfy PJs to something more ridiculous. It's entirely up to you. And because this event is about fundraising and awareness you can do either or both. There are even group fundraising pages set up to make it even easier.

The Big Sleep for M.E. was thought up to take into account the fact that the illness restricts many sufferers to spending a lot of time lying down and in bed - some are totally bedbound; with the idea to turn this into something positive for our cause. The wonderful thing about this event is that for those ‘willing wellies’, healthy supporters, out there you’ve never had a better excuse to put your feet up and have a lie down knowing it’s all for a good cause! Those that are bedbound through this illness can also join in the fun for a change!

The response to this event has been very positive. As one ME sufferer said, ‘…. finally an event that I don't have to say no to!’ It has particularly struck a chord with those that are severe. And there are several severe sufferers fundraising either individually http://www.justgiving.com/thecagedbird or on The Big Sleep for M.E. JustGiving group page

http://www.justgiving.com/thebigsleepforme with more taking part for just awareness.

There have also been some unexpected and delightful deviations to the event with pets now joining up. Bubble and Squeak, two eighteen year old cats, have their own fundraising page http://www.justgiving.com/Squeak-and-Bubble-Cats, and the tortoises Hector and Hamish are helping out Ruth Gilchrist on her page http://www.justgiving.com/Ruth-Gilchrist. Kaiser Bill and Thomas are now team members of The Big Sleep for ME group fundraising page http://www.justgiving.com/thebigsleepforme. Kaiser Bill being the feline representative and Thomas the canine; although if they actually met in up in real life there could be some diplomatic differences.

There are also sleepover parties taking place in aid of The Big Sleep.

As you can see there are so many ways to join in. And the wonderful thing about this event is that healthy supporters and sufferers can all come together to do something positive for M.E. So far there are people from all over the UK, America, Italy and Sweden that have signed up.

If you’re interested to find out more go to the website www.thebigsleepforme.com or visit the Facebook page www.facebook/TheBigSleepforME, or email thebigsleepforme@btinternet.com.

If you’re unable to take part but would like to show your support you can give a donation either by going to the JustGiving pages mentioned or by texting BSME99 to 70070 with the amount you would like to give (for example BSME99 £5 to 70070).

With thanks to Julia for all her hard work developing and launching this inclusive and positive venture and to everyone taking part. We can all make a difference to M.E!