The York ME Community

The York ME Community is a patient group in York, UK.

Aims
Bill Clayton describes the group's aims:

"This site is here to let you know that you are not alone, but that others in the York Community are here for you and happy to answer any questions you might have as much as our knowledge allows. This is for those who suffer with the illness, family, friends, or just the inquisitive.

The site was essentially set up for those who were house or bedbound and unable to be part of their own community. This is why we don't just talk about ME, but have active Forums covering photography, arts and crafts, poetry, music, jigsaws, and anything else that might be of interest. Hopefully this will be your corner shop where you can chat on the chat box and talk about last night's football or soaps, catch up with local news that we post and feel part of a Community. We also have a link to a Military Veterans Radio Station that runs 24/7. As we tend to have irregular sleeping patterns, it's somewhere to go in the wee small hours to chat to folks from all over the world and maybe request your favourite tune ! I tend to pop in most mornings to say hello to the guys who run it from here in the UK, France and the US. Why not give it a go....?

The aim of the group apart from lending support, is to raise awareness and belief. Funding will then follow to help find treatments and eventually a cure for this beast. Although we will all have our stories to tell, and will ask and receive help with anything at all, I want this to be an outward looking site too. I want us all to do our little bit if we can, to raise awareness of ME, to get us up there with the coverage that the more ‘popular’ ills get in the media. I want to see a team of rugby players happy to wear pink tutu’s proud to be running for ME as they do for cancer and diabetes !! If we can all tell just one new person a month about ME, we will get there.

I am using what energy I have to approach sports clubs, businesses, entertainment venues, York Council, local MPs and others in the York area to support The York ME Community which consists of their friends, families and neighbours, and to be there for them."

Funding
Bill Clayton describes the group funding:

"Currently we are self funding. I do not expect members to pay anything towards the upkeep of our site.  ME has robbed us of many things including income, and I would not expect members to pay for support and use of this Community.

Any work carried out in raising awareness will hopefully be sponsored by businesses who will in turn be able to link to our site and gain local recognition through media outlets such as radio, press and social media.

Other funding channels are being investigated."

Notable people

 * Bill Clayton

History
The York ME Community was launched in September 2015.

Online presence

 * Website
 * Twitter