Neil Riley, Chairman, ME Association.
Update: 24th March The UK Govt. announced last night additional measures to try and prevent the spread of coronavirus and with these in mind, the ME Association will today close head office to all staff. We will continue as best we can to provide services to the patient community from home, as many of a staff work from home anyway. Head office staff will also now work from home, and any phone calls to head office will be diverted to the ME Connect Helpline to be dealt with accordingly. ME Connect: The information and support helpline remains open mornings (10am to 12 noon), afternoons (2pm to 4pm) and evenings (7pm to 9pm) with our volunteers continuing to take calls seven days a week: 0344 576 5326. Latest UK Gov. Guidance: Staying at home and away from others. |
Trustees, staff and volunteers at the ME Association are continuing to work as normally as possible during what is a very challenging time for everyone.
MEA Head Office: Staff will now be working from home as we have closed the office (see above). We are directing all callers to the ME Connect helpline until this crisis has passed.
ME Connect: The information and support helpline remains open mornings (10am to 12 noon), afternoons (2pm to 4pm) and evenings (7pm to 9pm) with our volunteers continuing to take calls seven days a week: 0344 576 5326.
MEA social media: Website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – all continue as normal with regular website updates providing comprehensive information and guidance on all aspects of how coronavirus infection affects people with ME/CFS.
Russell Fleming, Katie Meehan and Kate Stanforth all work from home and will continue to answer your questions and concerns where they can with guidance from Dr Charles Shepherd.
ME Essential: Our membership magazine, is being published as normal by our editor, Caroline Cavey, who also works from home. Members will receive a bumper issue delivered in early April.
It contains an enlarged and fully updated MEA information leaflet on the A – Z of Symptom Management and features our plans for ME Awareness as well as a selection of stories, posters and graphics that we will be using in the May campaigns.
MEA Fundraising: Activities that involve any form of social contact have, quite rightly, ground to a halt and are unlikely to resume for some time. We would not want anyone to put themselves at increased risk of catching this infection.
With the restrictions now in place around the country, much of the fundraising activity has moved online. If you have any ideas or queries about how you can raise funds for the charity, then please contact our fundraising manager, Tony Britton.
National media: John Siddle, who looks after our press coverage, is ready to deal with any queries from journalists about ME/CFS and coronavirus.
MEA Trustees are making use of video conferencing to hold their meetings as are other members of our team. We are all keeping in touch and trying to ensure we maintain our ability to serve the needs of this community as best we can.
Please refer to the Contact Us information for telephone numbers and email addresses.
Your kind messages of support for what we are doing at the moment are greatly appreciated. We wish you and your family safety and good health in these difficult times.
Thank you.
The ME Association
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We are a national charity working hard to make the UK a better place for people whose lives have been devastated by an often-misunderstood neurological disease.
If you would like to support our efforts and ensure we are able to inform, support, advocate and invest in biomedical research, then please donate today.
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ME Association Registered Charity Number 801279