Volunteer Week 2023

A big THANK YOU to all FMA UK volunteers. FMA UK is run mainly by a team of amazing volunteers – our Board of Trustees, Regional Coordinators, Helplines, Office, Online Forum admin/moderators, writing and general volunteers who help us out on ad hoc tasks. We could not provide the support and information to people with fibromyalgia; their family/friends/carers; health professionals etc without their time and effort.

Our volunteers give their time and energy, for some it may be a few hours a month; others it may be on a daily basis – but the input from each and every person is what enables us to provide our essential services including:-

• Sending out information packs and orders from the office • Providing contact information for local support groups • Answering calls on our national and benefits helplines • Replying to email enquiries • Moderating our online support forums • Creating content for our website, social media and newsletter

Keep following our social media during Volunteers week to find out more about some of our roles, and meet some of our volunteers.

New Product

Americano-Style Reusable Coffee Cups

See our FMA UK branded Americano-style reusable coffee cups now on sale in our shop.

Grab yourself a special deal for a pack of three cups.

Fundraising whilst Shopping

AmazonSmile

Fibromyalgia Action UK would like to thank everyone who used AmazonSmile to donate whilst shopping at Amazon UK. You have raised over £7000 to help us support people with fibro.

Unfortunately, Amazon have sadly announced the closure of AmazonSmile on February 2023. However, there are still ways you can support the vital work of FMA UK without costing you any extra.

Did you know that whenever you buy anything online – from your weekly shop to your annual holiday – you could be raising free donations for Fibromyalgia Action UK (FMAUK) with easyfundraising? There are over 7,000 brands on board ready to make a donation – including eBay, Argos, John Lewis, ASOS, Booking.com and M&S – and it won’t cost you a penny extra to help us raise funds. Click here to join for free.

Every time you shop online, go to easyfundraising first to find the site you want and start shopping. After you’ve checked out, the brand will make a donation to Fibromyalgia Action UK (FMA UK) at no extra cost to you whatsoever! There are no catches or hidden charges and Fibromyalgia Action UK will be really grateful for your donations.

Want to help us raise donations for FREE? Well, now you can just by shopping via Give as you Live Online! When you shop at over 6,000 top stores including John Lewis & Partners, Expedia and Marks & Spencer via Give as you Live Online, they'll turn a percentage of your spend into free funds for us! Simply sign up, search for the retailer and start shopping. It's that simple! Get started here.

Give as you Live Online generates charitable giving from your everyday shopping. From holidays and travel, to clothing and gifts, you can raise hundreds of pounds from your everyday shopping, all at no extra cost to you. Simply sign up for an account and start shopping to make a difference for Fibromyalgia Action UK!

Chocolate Cake Day

Ian Taverner (Mr Cookfulness) shared his recipe for a sunken cake recipe that is easy to make and fibro freindly as all of Ian's recipes are. Why dont you have a go and post back the results on our twitter thread here. Hazel from the office has had a go and her oven misbehaved but the cake tastes lovely if a bit more sunken than intended :)

National Cake day may not be related to fibromyalgia but there should always be time for cake :)

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Superior Wellness

UPDATE! Superior Wellness successfully completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge in aid of Fibromyalgia Action UK this August.

Superior Wellness became a corporate partner of FMA UK in 2021. They have spent the last year raising awareness of fibromyalgia, and their fundraising efforts will support the charity in its mission to help people with our condition.

In August 2021, they 39-strong team conquered the Yorkshire Tough Mudder - a gruelling 10-mile obstacle course over the rolling Yorkshire Dales.

Through various fundraising initiatives over the past year, together with donations from sales of their hot tubs, they raised just under £5000.

This year the Superior Wellness team set themselves the target of the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge, which they completed on Sunday, the 28th of August. Their team climbed Pen-y-ghent, Whernside, and Ingleborough in under 12 hours and raised £820 for us.

Their fundraising will be ongoing throughout 2022, and a recent cake sale has raised a further £77.

Fibromyalgia Action UK would like to thank Superior Wellness for their partnership over the year. Des Quinn, Chair of Fibromyalgia Action UK added:

"We really appreciate the effort, conviction, and time donated by the team at Superior Wellness. It’s an amazing amount they have raised that will help the newly diagnosed receive support that they desperately need."

You can read more about Superior Wellness' inspiring support for FMA UK here.

RSM Event - Fibromyalgia in the 21st Century Transforming Care

The Royal Society of Medicine in association with Fibromyalgia Action UKPresents 
Fibromyalgia in the 21^st Century Transforming  Care
Online Monday October 10

Look out next month  for the full programme for this all day online meeting from the Royal Society of Medicine in association with FMA UK where we will explore what current care looks like for people in the UK with fibromyalgia and the ideas that will transform this in the years to come.

We have put together a superb panel of speakers that include those with lived experience and those with expertise in treatment.

The meeting is for both service users and health professionals and will be a place where everyone can share ideas and be part of this transformation.

Speakers include Prof. Winfried Häuser, Prof. Ernest Choy, Ms. Louise Trewern,  Mr. Des Quinn, Dr. Deepak Ravindran and Dr. Andreas Goebbel.

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