19 November 2011

Christmas Gifts for ME!

Sincerely grateful thanks to everyone who has joined in with the spirit of this campaign in such a variety of ways since its launch late July, helping to raise awareness of myalgic encephalomyelitis as well as vital funds towards establishing a combined biomedical research and clinic facility in Norfolk, the first of its kind in UK and Europe.

Your response to this appeal has been truly inspiring and you can see from the thermometer how far you have taken Invest in ME towards the £100,000 needed to fund the initial research proposals using the first-class facilities at the University of East Anglia research park in UK.

Our dream gift for this Christmas would be to reach that £100,000 target. Many supporters have been thinking creatively of ways in which this could be achieved and here are some suggestions for your on-line Christmas shopping and gifts you may like to give or to receive.

Please let us know, by email at fundraising4me@gmail.com or by leaving a comment here on the blog, if you are also using the spirit of Christmas to raise awareness or funds for Invest in ME this year, so that we can add your activity or event to the list at Let's do it for ME!

Raising funds for FREE when you search the web or shop on-line

  • When doing your Christmas shopping on-line, don't miss the opportunity to raise funds for FREE for Invest in ME by searching the web and making your purchases through Everyclick's Search the Web and Give As You Live or though the Easyfundraising website.
  • You can also raise funds for FREE for Invest in ME when you use eBay

Please see our How To Help page for more about these options if you haven't signed up to them already, and please ask for more information or help if you need it, as these are such easy ways to raise funds for Invest in ME at no extra cost to you.


Handmade decorations and gifts
  • Jane Hurst has already sold out of her handmade Christmas cards but still has packs of her wildlife photo greetings cards available to buy as gifts. She said: “We’ve been selling them for a long time now and have raised over £2000 for ME charities so I think people quite like them!” This year, all proceeds from Jane's cards go to Invest in ME's biomedical research fund. Click here for Pack 1 and here for Pack 2.
  • Diana Hamilton aims to sell 100 of her handmade birdies with 50% of the profit donated as a lump sum to Invest in ME. The birdies are delightful folk-art decorations. Diana said: “I have recently been involved with a craft exhibition project for which I made the felt birds and thought that as I had made quite a few they would be perfect to raise money for the charity. I've set myself the challenge of making and selling 100 felt birdies by the end of the year!”   You can follow Diana's progress on Twitter @100Birdies4ME 
  • Lynne Allan has created a page on Facebook to sell her wide range of beautiful Handmade Beaded Jewellery, generously donating all proceeds to Invest in ME.  You can order via the page ME-2-U Creations with payment by PayPal.

Calendars for 2012
  • This beautiful wildlife calendar is being sold by the author of the blog Just My Life on a print-on-demand basis on lulu.com, with all proceeds to Invest in ME's biomedicalresearch fund. Invest in ME will receive £2.00 for each calendar purchased. All photography was generously donated by G. Wayne Hendrix.

  • ME Laid Bare is a cheeky calendar for 2012 featuring some good sports with ME – tastefully photographed and excellent value for money with all proceeds to Invest in ME's biomedical research fund.
Books about people with myalgic encephalomyelitis

Lost Voices
: "Providing a voice for those severely affected with myalgic encephalomyelitis". This book is a high-quality, A4 landscape size with a laminated card cover with pictures, mostly in colour. For more information and to order from Invest in ME 
website, click here.

One Last Goodbye by Kay Gilderdale. Published by Ebury Press ISBN 978-0091939144 Available to buy in several stores and also on-line at Amazon here and in e-book format from The Random House group here. If you buy through the easyfundraising site, e.g. from Amazon or The Random House Group and choose Invest in ME as your cause, the charity will receive up to 2.5% of the price as a donation, with no extra cost to you.

Other Books

Barnaby Eaton-Jones, supporter of Invest in ME/Let's do it for ME and author of Lemon, a comedy thriller published by Hurst Publishing says: “My publisher has kindly said he'll take 10% off the price for M.E. sufferers, if you apply the code 'ME' (upper or lower case) at the checkout. So, if you want to buy a book by a fellow sufferer, that isn't about the illness and will hopefully make you chuckle, then pop over via this link.” 

Let's do it for ME! and ME Awareness Shops

For a great choice of a range of items to give or receive as presents for all ages, please browse our on-line shop at Spreadshirt and at Cafe Press, with all proceeds direct to Invest in ME's biomedical research fund via PayPal. Many thanks to Jan Laverick and Carmel Hillary for their hard work on creating and running these shops.

Christmas Gift for ME!

We know that some people like to exchange charity gifts at Christmas as these are thoughtful gifts to give and receive, and are also an easy option if you are not sure what to buy someone or if you have difficulty shopping, so here is a page on Everyclick to simply donate to as a Christmas Gift for ME and here are templates in landscape or portrait you can use for anyone on your Christmas gift list to explain why you have chosen to give or receive this gift.

Other ways to raise awareness and funds this season 

Carole and Clive Carrick will be doing another supermarket collection in December. If you would like to take a collection box to work or school or perhaps you'd like to have a coffee and mince pie event or a Christmas Party in aid of Invest in ME, please contact Invest in ME by:

Email: info@investinme.org

Phone: 02380 251719 or 07759 349743

FAX: 02380 000040

Post:

Invest in ME
PO Box 561
Eastleigh
SO50 0GQ
Hampshire
UK

Don't forget to let us know if you are also using the spirit of Christmas to raise awareness or funds for Invest in ME this year, so that we can add your activity or event to the list here.

Ready for Christmas shopping?

Let's do it for ME!


Thank you for your support!


The LDIFME 2011 Xmas logo is a re-working of the LDIFME logo using a snowflake design by Chris Spooner.