Support for ME and FM is welcome

Evening Post 20th September 2007


In reply to letter by Richard Westall, Sept 17th 07

Dear Sir/Madam

I am very pleased that West Berkshire Neurological Alliance is supporting the awareness event with The West Berkshire ME & FM Group in Newbury, ME being classified as a neurological illness by WHO (World Health Organization).

I would like local ME/FM people to know that The Reading Area ME Support Group, which covers the rest of Berkshire is working with their new chairman Lindsey on a continuing campaign for services for CFS/ME and FM in Berkshire. The Reading group has been actively campaigning for the last 18 months for improved CFS/ME Services. With the support of MP Martin Salter, his suggestion of a dossier including case histories of local people with ME we managed some constructive meetings with the PCT.

A promised activity management scheme, due to commence in April 07 has not come to fruition, due to the reconfiguration of the new PCT, it seems to have been lost from their commissioning agenda. We are continuing to pursue this and the need for a multidisciplinary service as has been set up across the rest of the country, especially with the recent rAof the NICE report, but of course funding is a continuing stumbling block.

Berkshire is a desert with a lack of services and we have no medical ME Specialist Consultant to see, although ME is classified as a neurological illness by WHO, and cannot get referral out of area.

While we have not managed an awareness event for people with ME we do try as much as possible to raise awareness (especially in May – ME awareness month) by media coverage about events the group in involved in, such as the recent sponsorship challenge that was advertised last month in The Post. It is hoped to raise a good sum for
The CFS Research Foundation, our chosen charity, for continuing Kerr’s work on gene therapy.

The Group produces a quarterly newsletter, has a well stocked library of books and equipment and meets at members home’s every 2 months between Reading and Bracknell, and recently also in Maidenhead.

Any local people with ME are welcome to contact me – Eileen
At readingmegroup@yahoo.co.uk or by telephone 0118 9786480

Yours sincerely
Eileen Shoosmith
Group Contact Reading Area ME Support Group
Winnersh

A Monster Challenge at Loch Ness

Reading Evening Post: 28th August, 2007

A team of young men are willing to face the Loch Ness monster to help raise money for charities that are close to home.

Four intrepid employees from Reading-based company Transportation Claims Ltd, the insurance department for First Group, are training hard for the First Monster Challenge to be held around the shores of Loch Ness.

John Drummond, Mark Shoosmith, Matthew Jordan and Chris Cox are putting themselves through their paces to complete individual legs of a 10k run followed by a 20k cycle.

All this effort is being made to raise as much sponsorship money as they can for two national charities.

With the support of their company, colleague, families and friends they are raising funds for the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research Foundation and The National Association for Colitis and Crohn’s Disease.

They have selected these charities because three of the team have family and friends who suffer from one of these conditions. Mark and Chris both have mothers with ME.