ABOUT OUR GROUP

The group formed in 1994 and we became a Registered Charity in 2004, we have a dedicated Committee in the form of Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Membership Secretary, Awareness Co-ordinator, Group Secretary, Website Co-ordinator, News Letter Editor, Library Co-ordinator, Catering Co-ordinator who make up the Management Committee with committee helpers, we are all unpaid volunteers.

Our policy is to have no discrimination and provide equal opportunities for all, by our constitution we are not permitted to have members under the age of 18, any person(s) under the age of 18 will be welcome at all our meetings and entitled to our group news letter and library service.

The founder of the Group Jo Gallagher, who was diagnosed in her mid teens, started the group from home with a small number of diagnosed people attending gatherings. Jo made efforts to promote the awareness of fibromyalgia and appeared on the local TV Channel for the Community Service Announcement, since then the group have grown to its present size of around 300 members. A number of years after 1994 the group have grew to a size to be able to form a fully functioning committee from volunteer members, Jo then handed the group over to them in order for her to persue personal ambitions, today she remains the Group Honorary President.

The group provide a library for members, a website, a quarterly news letter, monthly meetings and a help line. Our meetings are informal and relaxed and you will be welcomed by our door registration co-ordinator who will happily hand you over to the "Greeters Table" if it is your first meeting.

We provide information and support in a friendly, safe and positive environment, we offer you the opportunity to meet people who have the condition themselves and share with each other knowledge, information, comradeship and the opportunity to support one another.

When you are first diagnosed if you do not receive adequate information you may experience confusion, frustration and isolation, by joining a support you have taken the first step to achieving greater awareness and understanding of the condition, why be alone? Our library offers excellent fibromyalgia books written by some of the most eminent fibromyalgia specialists, educating yourself about the condition helps you to educate your family and friends, this helps them acknowledge what has happened to you and how you may feel on a daily basis.

Our group offer the chance to be involved in the cause, to help make a difference by joining the committee and working with the management  committee, to change the perceived perception of fibromyalgia.

Our meetings are held on the second Saturday of each month, except August when we do not have a meeting, any changes to meeting dates and times are advertised on our website and if the time schedule permits, in our quarterly news letter. We have guest speakers throughout the year, symptom solution swaps, July and Christmas Socials, there is social time at our meetings for informal chat and refreshments.

We have an Awareness Agenda that is planned by the Committee and aimed at the community, the patient and the professionals, all our information packs are provided free and produced by the Committee.

To help us run the Group we have a membership fee, this helps with payment for guest speakers, stationary and printing costs, information packs etc. The Group participate in local fete's and shows throughout the summer to raise funds to help us with our awareness raising. Over the years we have been very fortunate to have the support of local companies with our aims and objectives.

Our meeting dates and speakers may be located under "Diary Dates" our Mission Statement may be viewed on our website as can "What Our Group Does", in the History Page you may read about our Awareness Conferences held at the City Hospital and our Awareness Raising Agenda.

The Group Committee