Billboards for Long Covid and MECFS.

All donations to this fundraiser will be used to pay for billboards in the UK that will help raise awareness for Long Covid and MECFS as well as demand urgent research and clinical trials.

The government hasn't informed the public, they don't know why they are unwell and they don't know how badly we suffer with this disease. We need to continue to make our plight visible to the people of this country so that the press takes notice and amplifies our voice and together we can change the future of this disease for us and them.

As of 8th December, 2023 we have collectively raised £5,980 together and currently have £133 moving forward.

£5,640 was the total balance before we made the first withdrawal and £220.98 was deducted by GoFundMe (there is a screenshot on Twitter verifying this) which left us with £5,419.02.

We then spent £2,700 for five billboards with Amplify Marketing - these billboards went live on the 5th and 6th of December - and then £2,849 will be spent for 75Media- these billboards go live on December 18th - which currently leaves us with £133.

This £133 is now being put back into the pot and will be used in the next batch of billboards.

The fact that in the space of 8 weeks of the GoFundMe being launched the community have managed to secure TEN huge billboards (11 if you include the very first one at Bournemouth which was paid for seperately by an individual) is extremely impressive and shows promise that this could turn into a rolling, regular campaign if we continue to support it like we have done so far.

Moving forward it's clear that we need to focus our efforts into specific targets around the UK such as Westminster, specific NHS buildings and medical research establishments. There is a chance that this may be quite expensive and will take longer to hit the financial target for these but in the long run it may be better for media coverage and prompting a reaction from the relevant audience than having several billboards up in smaller, more rural areas.

Just like before we will take some time to research locations and prices and then feed back the options to the online community (this will also include Facebook as we've come to discover there is an audience there who do not use Twitter) and will host another poll for everyone to vote and have their voice heard.

The website being promoted on the billboards will be www.notrecovereduk.org which covers key prevalence and quality of life statistics as well as linking to credible research papers for both these illnesses as well as associated conditions like POTS, MCAS, SFN and vaccine injuries. We are very open to feedback and suggestions for the site so please don't hesitate to message us. We will be acting as the UK branch of Not Recovered who have their own website www.notrecovered.org and have done incredible acts of advocacy already in their own right.

Any transactions or communication with the billboard companies will be screenshotted and made visible to the community. Every penny will be accounted for and nobody involved in the campaign will make any profit from their work. Strictly voluntary.

Billboards and public advertising were an important form of advocacy for the HIV/AIDS movement and as many of us are too sick to attend protests I think this might be one of our best shots at fighting back. These billboards will make us more visible, draw attention to both Long Covid and MECFS and most importantly stress how the importance of medical research and treatments. Hopefully they will generate some media coverage, encourage civilians to Google the website and conditions and educate themselves and push back on this ridiculous belief that it's a mental illness and/or only affects a certain demographic.

Below is information regarding cash apps and survey websites that were initially going to be promoted as a tool for people to donate without spending their own personal money. This information may be irrelevant and understandably be too much effort to read and participate in, but I'd like to again mention them if it helps anyone at all.

There is ALSO a Google Doc at the bottom listing every location available with 75Media if anyone would like to have a look and suggest anything on the list that you think would be a good investment. They do NOT cover London but we're happy to hear any suggestions!

I would like to make it clear that there is no expectation for ANYONE to donate their own personal funds towards this cause. Many people suffering from these horrific illnesses are too sick to work and in the middle of a cost of living crisis it would be unethical to pressure or guilt trip any of these people to part ways with their savings or (potentially limited) income to donate to this scheme. I have attached two Google Docs at the bottom of this page - one has a list of billboard locations and daily rates (as well as a link to the billboard websites for verification and general information) and the other has a list of cash-rewarding survey type apps and websites that anyone in select countries can use to make 'pocket money' to donate.

20 people making £1 daily on these apps/websites = £20 a day, £140 a week, £560 a month.

50 people making £1 daily on these apps/websites = £50 a day, £350 a week, £1400 a month.

100 people making £1 daily on these apps/websites = £100 a day, £700 a week, £2800 a month.

Of course these are examples. There are no real goals or targets and nobody will be pressured to donate or commit to using these apps.

GOOGLE DOCS BELOW -

LOCATIONS AND PRICES IN UK (FIRST DRAFT, OCTOBER 2023)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_r0uwT5gY8y1rdjnjdxRCTk-RyF_VUa8/edit?pli=1

CASH APPS/WEBSITES

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yJLWvIJC08Kmhrit9jA4H2rK4_tYCqcj/edit