TYMES TRUST ALERT 29 November 2010 ====== 2 NEW CAMPAIGNS FOR YOUNG HEARTS DAY And a little bit of ho ho ho... ====== It's a busy Young Hearts Day here. We are launching two new campaigns and you may want to be involved. Oh, and since you're probably going to be sending out Christmas cards soon (no, we don't sell them!) we have some jolly Santa 'Ho Ho Ho, We're supporting The Young ME Sufferers Trust' labels to stick on the backs of envelopes or in the cards you already have. The idea came from a member, who simply sent in a donation in return for Christmas labels. So much easier than all that calculating price and postage! She's just emailed me: 'The labels are fabulous, and arrived safely this morning. I will put the word out and enquire if anyone else would like to acquire any.' I can email you a picture of them if you like. Just make a donation (there's a donations form on our website) and we'll send you some labels - let us know how many you need. Now for the serious stuff. EXAMS LETTER CAMPAIGN If you requested a signed copy of our Exams Letter to be given to schools and colleges, they were sent out to you today, Young Hearts Day. This is the day when the campaign officially begins. As you know, students with ME have been having serious trouble finding a school to host their exams, after studying for qualifications through the Nisai Virtual Academy. Our letter includes an address from Lady Elizabeth Anson, the Queen's cousin, who is one of our patrons. Here is part of the letter: [...] 'Our Young Advocate, Shannen Dabson, a teenager disabled with ME who recently managed to address the Royal Society of Medicine despite her condition, told us how heartbreaking it is to be turned away by school after school after studying all year. 'Shannen's mother telephoned 30 schools and colleges. Only one had a legitimate reason for not hosting her exam; it was a listed building that couldn't accommodate a wheelchair. She writes: "It was so disheartening to hear rejection after rejection. Panic began to set in that Shannen may have completed all that work for nothing. Eventually we found two, one in Holborn and the other in South Kensington that was slightly cheaper." 'Can you imagine your students having to travel all that way to central London, early in the morning, and then trying to do their best to get a good grade when they are exhausted at the start? 'There really is only one way to describe this situation - terribly unfair. Life has already dealt these students a severe blow to their health; surely we should be doing our best to support them when they try so hard despite their difficulties? [...]' We do hope that lots of you will send for this letter and pass it to your local school or college. We are also featuring it in the upcoming issue of Vision. AND LASTLY... ...NOT FORGETTING Grandma, Dad, Mum, Aunty, a best friend, or whoever has been especially kind and supportive. Today we launch our Young Hearts Awards. You can nominate someone for a special certificate. This is a campaign to recognise all those unsung carers and kindhearted folk who deserve recognition. This is how you can thank them. You need to email us and say who the person is and why you want to honour them. We'll email you back with instructions about how to get your free certificate. Take care of yourselves in this bitter cold. Thinking of you all on Young Hearts Day. Jane Jane Colby FRSA Executive Director The Young ME Sufferers Trust PO Box 4347, Stock, Essex, CM4 9TE www.tymestrust.org Tel: 0845 003 9002 ====== READ PREVIOUS ALERTS AND REGISTER FOR FUTURE ONES AT www.tymestrust.org To unsubscribe, send an email via the website Contact Us form. ====== DO YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE OUR ALERTS? ====== You are welcome to redistribute or reprint this email without seeking our permission provided: 1) you do not abbreviate, add to, or change the text in any way; 2) the authorship information is retained; and 3) www.tymestrust.org is credited as the source. Jane Colby is Executive Director of The Young ME Sufferers Trust. She was a Headteacher for nine years, a member of the government Chief Medical Officer's Working Group on CFS/ME and co-authored ME/CFS In UK Schools, the largest epidemiological study of ME to date. She is a member of the National Association of Educational Inspectors, Advisers and Consultants (now ASPECT), a life member of the National Association of Head Teachers and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Copyright (c) 2010 The Young ME Sufferers Trust