We are a small charity and we are very dependent on volunteers for all we do. We could really do with more people for our committee and to take on some of the roles in running the group.
Committee Member – We are currently looking to recruit a couple of committee members. We hold about 10 committee meetings that last just over 1 hour long each year. We expect a committee member to attend at least half of them. There is also a certain amount of email exchanges that happen over the course of the month ( 5-10 email threads) to keep on top of. Our ideal candidate needs to have ME/CFS, Long COVID or fibromyalgia or have a good understanding of at least one of the conditions. They would also ideally be willing to sometimes take on small actions that arise out of the committee meetings. We currently have some gaps in roles we are trying to fill including treasurer, campaigns officer, speaker co-ordinator and vice chair. The ideal candidate would be open to taking on one of these roles in the future although this is in no way expected or a requirement.
Treasurer – Our current treasurer has told us they would like us to find someone else to take on the role. There can be a hand over period so no specific skills or experience is required. Ideally the treasurer would also be able to attend a good number of the committee meetings. Knowledge of accounts and software like QuickBooks is an advantage but is not needed.
Face to Face Social Events Organiser/supporter – We have two people who do the bulk of our organising of face to face events (Ben and Fiona). We could do with an extra person to take on this role so we can run face to face events in a wider range of locations and be more consistent in holding a face to face event every month. Supporters need to be able to represent the charity, assist in running an event and be ready if the organiser is unavailable to welcome everyone at an event. The organiser also needs to come up with ideas and organise some events.
We totally appreciate not everyone feels able to take on roles and responsibilities whilst battling a long term and unpredictable illness. There are lots of ways you can help that do not have much by way of responsibilities or any longer term commitment. Here are some ways you can help at the moment:-
– Come along to our sessions and help out – Peer support without peers just doesn’t work. Everyone who comes to our meetings, everyone who asks questions, who listens is making a big difference. If that is all you can do you are already helping the group be a better place
– Newsletter. We are ideally looking for a new person to assist in the editing of the newsletter. We could also really benefit from some people to do some proof reading and potentially editing for the next issue to go out. We aim to have 4 issues a year of a 32ish page newsletter. You do not need to help each time but each time you are able to could be really helpful. If interested then please email Nia at niafs2@hotmail.co.uk
– Spread the word! – It is really hard to connect and find people who could benefit from our group both from the ME/CFS and Long Covid communities. If you know anyone or anyone who might know anyone who might benefit or want to be involved with what we do then please reach out to them. Promote our sessions, our Facebook Group and our website. Most of our events happen online at the moment so whilst we particularly welcome people from Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire someone could be further away and still benefit very much from getting involved.
– Website – We are looking for people to read the content and find errors to be corrected. We are also looking for people to write articles and for people to join monthly meetings reviewing the web development. The meetings will be kept to 30 min on Zoom and you can help in one meeting and not another. Over time these meetings will be less frequent as the website will change less between months and we will know better what we are doing
– Campaigning – There is lots of work needing to be done in campaigning at the moment and we are overstretched. The new NICE guidelines give us fresh opportunities to challenge the Clinical Commissioners to make sure that wherever you are in Greater Manchester or East Cheshire you have access to an appropriate specialist service. We are also growing to include people with Long Covid and campaign on issues of note. There are real problems with accessing the right services and information and a danger of mistakes relating to how people with ME/CFS have been treated being repeated with this patient group. If interested do reach out to benwickens55@gmail.com
– There might be other ways you could help us. We are always looking for interesting speakers and facilitators for sessions. Particularly people with lived experience. That could be you, that could be someone you know. If someone is new to running sessions we can give them support and training. Equally you might just know about.
There is even a picture of Ben’s daughter pleading you to consider getting involved, how could you resist?