October 2024
Hello and welcome to October’s newsletter. Hope you have had the best month possible.
October was a special month for us as we celebrated our 12th Birthday. We can’t thank you enough for all your support over the years because without you it would not be possible to continue sending Smiles to those affected by ME. Thank you to those who have donated, fundraised, shown support, nominated someone for a Smile or just left us a kind message, it means more than words can say.
Our Birthday is special to us because it is a celebration of what we have achieved. We are a small charity run by just 4 Trustees who are ourselves affected by ME as a severe sufferer, carers and supporters so everything we do is very personal to us. Smile For ME started off as a little idea from my bed with hopes to make a few people smile and we have now sent 1,738 Smiles to people affected by ME. Each Smile is individually chosen, wrapped and posted with love to help remind those who are often isolated from the world that they are thought of and not alone.
We absolutely love running Smile For ME and are so thankful to everyone who has helped make it possible.
Love Alice, Clive, Wendy and Jacqueline
Smiles
10 Smiles were sent to both ME sufferers and carers of all ages this month. All chosen and personalised to fit each person’s likes and interests. Some of the items sent this month included a pillow, socks, cuddly toy, bookmark, book voucher, reusable water bottles, mugs, tea bags, gin glasses, gin infusions, acrylic paint set, flower pressing set, notebook, pens, gardening gloves and hand cream gift set, savoury snacks, biscuits, sweets and chocolate.
Special touch
In our Smiles we are including a token item donated by someone affected by ME as a special touch from our community.
Included in the Smiles sent this month was a slogan polaroid donated by Hannah. Thank you Hannah for your kind support. 
“Came home from work to a lovely surprise from the fantastic Smile For ME and my amazing wife. Thank you so much it made my day”
Share a story
This month’s share a story is by Anna. Thank you Anna for sharing your experience of living with ME through a poem. 
Waking feels like sinking,
like your body is wrapped in fog
thick as a thousand nights without rest.
Every breath is heavy,
every step a negotiation with gravity.
The world keeps spinning outside—
faster, louder—
but you are stuck in slow motion,
trapped in a body that won’t listen,
muscles frayed, energy leaking
like a battery that never fully charges.
On good days, you pretend.
You measure each movement,
hoard energy like it’s gold,
weigh every choice—
shower or walk? call or cancel?
Everything costs more than it should.
And on the worst days,
your bed becomes the whole universe,
a prison of stillness where even light is too much.
The world moves on without you,
and you ache for the life you remember,
for the ease that others don’t even notice.
But you keep going,
in this quiet, invisible fight—
pushing through the endless haze,
knowing that tomorrow might be the same,
or worse,
or maybe just enough better
to breathe a little deeper.
And so you wait,
in the silence of your own skin,
for a body that might one day
remember what it’s like
to feel free.
Fundraising
Sing For M.E.
Next month is Bex’s Charity concert and raffle, Sing For M.E. Bex shared “The concert will be a fun, feel good afternoon full of amazing music performances and a raffle, so please consider buying a ticket. There is no fixed price, just a donation, so you can pay as much or as little as you want/are able to. A reminder that 100% of the money raised from ticket sales will be donated to Action For M.E, The M.E Association and Smile For M.E” 
As well as the concert Bex is holding a raffle with over 20 prizes, pictured below are a few of the prizes. Tickets are 50p each, buy a raffle ticket or two and the winners will be announced during the concert on Saturday 16th November. Thank you Bex for kindly choosing to support us. 
Naomi’s Christmas cards
Naomi is generously fundraising for us by selling handmade Christmas cards. Check out her Instagram @naomis.cards.for_m.e and contact her to order. Thank you Naomi for your kind support.
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. 
Thank you’s
Thank you to everyone who has supported us this month and throughout the last 12 years. We say thank you each month and we sincerely mean it. Without your kindness and generosity we wouldn’t be able to continue sending Smiles to those affected by ME so your support means such a lot.
A special thank you to the Excelsior Lodge for your very generous cheque for £1,215. A few weeks ago Smile For ME Trustees Wendy and Clive attended the South East Hampshire and IOW cheque presentation at the Masonic Lodge in Cosham. Smile For ME were presented with the cheque from the Excelsior Lodge. Thank you Rob, the Master of the Excelsior Lodge, for kindly choosing to support us and to everyone involved in helping make a difference to us. We were very grateful to have been invited to this event and seeing and hearing about the charities being supported by different lodges across Hampshire was very moving. In attendance was the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Portsmouth who it was lovely to meet, thank you for your words of support. Thank you to Chris Bayliss from the Masons who hosted the event, your kind hospitality was much appreciated. 
A big thank you to Fox Under The Moon for your generous donation of over 100 cards as well as a lovely book and some keyrings. Thank you to Elaine who messaged them asking if they would support Smile For ME and thank you Stacey for so kindly deciding to do so and sending us a box of goodies. We are looking forward to sending them in our Smiles. 
A special thank you to Shirley and the Parents of children with ME/CFS support group for the generous donation of £370. Shirley, with her hobby artwork Shirley Kay Mosaics, raffled her handmade ME Awareness Blue Heart mosaic within the Parents of children with ME/CFS support group. Thanks to their generosity Shirley added an ME Blue Heart pendant and an additional resin keyring as prizes. Thank you Shirley and everyone from the parent group who so kindly supported and helped make a difference to us. We are very grateful to you all. 
Two more special thank you’s. Thank you to Vicky for your kind donation of a beautiful handmade crochet blanket for us to include in our Smiles. Thank you to Pam and Pete for your touching letter and generous cheque.
[…] October Newsletter Smile for MEPicture: […]