service
Paid
Communication support for people with Aphasia or Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) and their families.
What is this group?
Richmond and Kingston ME Group, is a support group for people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME). We also support people with Long Covid, Fibromyalgia and Lyme Disease.
Our mission is to provide support to anyone who has Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), also diagnosed as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), or Long Covid, Fibromyalgia and/or Lyme Disease. We have a current membership of over 200 and would like to reach more people with ME, their families and carers in our zone.
Our purpose is to reduce isolation, provide support and information to our members, reach new members, raise public awareness of ME and its devastating effect on people and their families. We provide training sessions locally for medical, education, social and other welfare support services to increase understanding of ME.
We are also involved in campaigning for better local and domiciliary services for people with this condition and in supporting biomedical research into ME.
If you have, or know someone who has, any of these conditions and need support, you are very welcome to join us.
We offer members information and support through:
-
Newsletters; four issues per year plus email news (to see our latest newsletter click here).
-
Private (closed) email chat group in Google Groups.
-
Online and face-to-face coffee and pub meetings for members and their carers.
-
Online activities such as mindfulness, crafting and silent reading.
-
WhatsApp groups.
-
Signposting to professional benefits help and support
-
Signposting to local services and support
-
Periodic fundraising and ME awareness raising events
-
Occasional one off events (pub meet-ups, lectures and talks on aspects of ME)
-
Library
-
Social media (please see links on the right)
We are a not-for-profit organisation recognised as charitable by HMRC for tax purposes and validated by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF).
We are not registered with the Charity Commission in England and Wales because our turnover is less than £5,000 per year.
Good to know
- Cost: £5 per year or £0 if you're in hardship
- Additional information: ME can affect anyone at any age and from any ethnic background. Around 250,000 people in the UK have ME, 25% of them children.
What people say
Thanks to the group for everything they do. It has been a good support for me.
