Members Update

Sheffield ME and Fibromyalgia Group was established over 30 years ago and supports people living with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia, long covid and related conditions across South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire. We provide practical support, information, opportunities for connection and activities that help people feel less isolated and better able to manage life with a long-term condition.

Over the years, we have grown our membership to approximately 700, developed an active social calendar that brings people together, provided specialist advice and guidance, and built a strong reputation for our knowledge and understanding of these conditions among local and national partners.

More recently we have strengthened the charity’s leadership and governance with the appointment of a new Chief Executive, Clare Clifton, and some additions to our Board of Trustees. However despite this, we are facing a significant financial challenge, with some of our core funding coming to an end. It is therefore now an important time for us to review how we can remain viable and sustainable for our members, build on our strong foundations, reach even more people across the region and ensure that our organisation is well placed for the future.

Our review will look at how we deliver our services and explore new ways of working to ensure that we continue to meet the needs of our members in a sustainable way. As a result, our services will be evolving towards a broader approach designed to reach more members, with greater emphasis on accessible information, holistic advice and guidance, support to live well with their conditions, and stronger links with specialist referral partners.

Social connection remains an important part of what we do. Through our groups and activities, we will continue to provide opportunities for members to connect with others who understand their experiences. We will also be developing our befriending service to support more members, particularly those with the most severe symptoms.

We are also in the process of building a new website, which will provide accessible information and resources specifically for members, making it easier to find support, information and opportunities to connect.

Our Benefits Service has historically provided highly valued specialist one-to-one benefits advice and casework to members, supporting people with complex financial and benefits issues. Unfortunately, due to the significant resources required, we have concluded that we will no longer be able to provide specialist one-to-one casework support and representation. Instead, we will develop a broader approach which will include the provision of accessible information and guidance alongside stronger links with specialist referral partners. This will allow us to offer different ways of providing support while ensuring that members can still access appropriate specialist help when they need it.

We continue to actively seek alternative and additional funding to protect and develop our services. This includes pursuing grant opportunities, developing new fundraising approaches, exploring partnerships and looking at other sustainable sources of income.

There are many ways to support Sheffield ME and Fibromyalgia Group and help us continue our work across the region. You can become a member, a volunteer, attend or support our activities, donate, fundraise, partner with us, or simply like or share our work via social media to help us reach more people.

We will keep you updated as our reshaping proceeds and we would really welcome your  feedback. If you would like to make a donation, please follow this link.  Every contribution helps us build a stronger, more connected community for people living with ME/CFS, fibromyalgia and long covid.

From The Board of Trustees at Sheffield ME and Fibromyalgia Group

www.sheffieldmegroup.co.uk