June 2024
Hello and welcome to June’s newsletter. Hope you have had the best month possible.
Carers Week
This month during 10th-16th June we celebrated Carers Week. Carers Week is an annual campaign in June to raise awareness of caring. Smile For ME have joined in with this event since 2018 as we want to highlight carers of ME sufferers. ME doesn’t just affect those suffering, it affects those around them who have to take on the role of being a carer.
We celebrated some of the wonderful carers of ME sufferers by sending 40 special BearHugs Smiles to thank them for all they do and show them how much they are appreciated.
Sending a big hug to those caring for a loved one. You are amazing and everything you do is much appreciated not just during Carers Week but always. 
“My husband received his today, such a lovely box of goodies. Thank you!”
“Huge thanks to the wonderful souls at Smile For ME for my husband’s Smile box!! I nominated him for #CarersWeek for all he does to care for me. The box is absolutely perfect, thank you so much“
“A CARER WEEK GIFT FROM SMILE FOR ME. Here is my video of thanks for this amazing surprise gift that made my day today, A huge thank you! What a great charity. What a wonderful idea to bring a smile to people.”
“Thank you so much for sending Mia a smile box. It certainly did put a smile on her face. So kind of you to recognise carers too”
“Wow wow wow! A while ago, I nominated my little girl for a Smile For ME. I got an email to say that the nomination had been accepted and that she would receiving her ‘smile’ during #carersweek (10-16 June). I forgot about it until a parcel arrived today. I was absolutely blown away by the gifts that had been chosen for her. They are perfect! My little girl was made up to receive her ‘bear hug’ to recognise all she does to support me. Thank you Smile For ME and BearHugs for giving my daughter the biggest smile!”
“Thrilled to receive my amazing Bear Hug for Carers Week. The carer is feeling very well cared for. It looks and smells absolutely amazing and definitely put a smile on my face. Thank you to the superstar who nominated me x”
“Nominated Mum for a Smile For ME #CarersWeek bear hug box because she’s bloomin’ fantastic. Thank you so much @smileforme @bearhugsgifts`’
A special thank you to BearHugs for helping us to send Smiles to some amazing carers again this year. Since 2018 for our Carers Week special event Smiles we’ve chosen to partner with BearHugs and they’ve sent their wonderful Hugs to our Smiles nominees.
BearHugs is a brilliant company which sells personalised postal gift hampers in a signature box which opens to reveal two outstretched paws and a ‘Consider this a BearHug’ message. Founded by Faye, a chronic illness sufferer, they spread kindness through a thoughtful hug. For every 50 Bear Hugs boxes sold, they send a special personalised gift box to someone affected by chronic illness or disability through their Hug Nominations. We love working with them and being able to support the wonderful work they do whilst they help us to acknowledge and thank carers of ME sufferers.
Thank you Jared, Faye and BearHugs for your help in creating smiles.
Carer appreciation
On the last day of Carers Week we asked on social media for you to share your carer appreciation so we could help spread the love and thanks for some wonderful carers. 
Share a story
This month’s special Carers Week share a story is by Mia. Thank you Mia for sharing your experience of being a young a carer with a piece titled ‘My Brother and Me’
My Brother and Me
My brother Jay has long covid and chronic fatigue syndrome, he is 13 years old and I am 15, my name is Mia.
Before my brother was unwell we used to do lots of stuff together such as , going on holidays, playing video games, running around, playing football, joking around together, going out a lot and having a lot of fun. We were always laughing and play-fighting together.
When he became unwell , he was no longer coming to school with me, always asleep, couldn’t walk and I had to help him out a bit more like bringing him food or drinks and pushing him in his wheelchair. I had to help mum and dad more too as he could not do much himself. We used to do lots of different things at the weekend but now we are just always home.
It has affected me a lot because I really missed all the stuff we used to do together and it was hard seeing him asleep and off school when I had to go in by myself. When I was doing homework, he was just sleeping. His friends in school and teachers in school would always be asking me if he was okay. I also felt like he had a lot more attention than me and I felt a bit alone.
The things I miss the most are being able to go out on walks with our dogs with him, playing football outside in our garden or the park, going to school with him and playing games online together.
At the moment, it has been over two years since he had symptoms. I like trying to make him laugh when he is awake, sharing funny tik toks and you tube videos with him and talking to him about my school day. He is too unwell to go to school so is only doing two online lessons and a few quizzes a week online. I like helping him with his maths quizzes when he is stuck.
In the future I really hope he gets better and can walk and run around like he used to and I also hope he can come back to school with me before I leave high school. It would be nice to have memories of us both being at high school together. I would like us all to go on holidays again and him not needing to be in a wheelchair.
Fundraising
Blue Sunday
Last month Isaac created and performed in a wonderful online concert for Blue Sunday. A big thank you to Isaac, everyone who performed, watched, donated and shared. It was an amazing achievement to put a whole concert together and a brilliant £1,401 was raised and split equally between Smile For ME and ME Research UK.
Isaac’s fundraiser was the last of the donations which made Smile For ME’s 2024 Blue Sunday total an incredible £3,508.74! Thank you so much to every single person who supported us, from Anna who created the event to those who joined in and donated, you’ve helped make a big difference to us and we can’t thank you enough. 
Excelsior Lodge
A special thank you to Rob McLaren, Mark Wheeler and Excelsior Lodge for their cheque and large donation to Smile For ME. We are so grateful that your Lodge has kindly chosen to support us as your charity of the year.
Rob shared with us “One of the core principles of Freemasonry throughout our 300 year history is serving others, and each year our members dedicate both time and resources to making a tangible difference to various organisations and communities. Freemasonry are one of the largest contributors to charitable causes in the country, with almost £1 million donated per week. Beyond monetary contributions, we actively engage in volunteer work, making a significant impact in our communities.
As Master of Excelsior Lodge, when Wendy, the Treasurer of Smile for ME, told me of the amazing work that the charity does in supporting people who are impacted by this debilitating disease, it immediately seemed a logical choice for my charity partner for the year, and I hope that the additional money will allow them to bring a smile to even more people. I have since found out that a lodge member’s spouse suffered from ME for several years, so it means a lot to us that Excelsior Lodge can support Smile For ME this year”
Pictured Wendy and Clive from Smile For ME and Rob McLaren and Mark Wheeler.
Bake4MECFS
The Disney themed Bake Off in honour of Merryn Crofts came to a close. Thank you so much to Jennie for kindly choosing to create this special round of fundraising for Merryn and Smile For ME. Thank you to everyone who joined in and supported, you helped raise a great £108 which will enable us to continue sending Smiles to people affected by ME, including Merryn’s Smile Day again next year in memory of Merryn.
Congratulations to Lizzy, with the help of her talented baking buddy @LobBakes, for winning Star Baker and over £100 worth of Miranda Hart’s The Miranda Shop items with this wonderful sleeping beauty bake.
Thank you Bake4MECFS for creating an inclusive fundraiser so that even those too poorly to bake could still be included and feel a part of something. Thank you to the kind collaborative bakers for their help. A special thank you to everyone who got involved and supported. Thank you to the judges Jennie Jacques, Lorna McFindlow, Christina Baltais and for inviting me to be a judge too, it was a tough choice with lots of brilliant bakes. Thank you The Miranda Shop for your generous gift donation for the Star Baker.
Bake4MECFS is a fundraising event that takes place every few months with a different theme and options to support a charity of your choice. Keep an eye on their social media or website to support and see what theme is next: www.bake4mecfs.com
Smile of the month
What’s made you smile this month? Each month we ask this question on social media and we love hearing the responses. We hope by sharing some of your smiles it can help others to find a smile too or if you are struggling it helps be a reminder that you are not alone.
Thank you’s
It means a lot to receive the generosity from those who kindly supported us this month. Without you we wouldn’t be able to continue sending Smiles to ME sufferers and their carers so we can’t thank you enough.
A special thank you to Elaine and Tara for their kind donations which we will be sharing more about soon.