Hello!
It has been soooo long since I last went adventuring that I’ve asked my P.A to refresh your memory about how my ‘adventures’ usually work. This year, things are on a much smaller scale due to the ongoing pandemic. My adventures are limited to the UK because my P.A says having to work around international cancelled flights/cancelled holidays/travel restrictions would make a world tour too much of a logistical challenge – it would be an impossibility!! Long standing Followers know that I had to end my 2019-2020 world tour 2 months early because of the pandemic. My P.A says ‘we aren’t doing that again!’ We were sooo close to our 250,000 mile target! *sob hic* I’ll let me P.A explain how my ‘adventures’ and ‘Foggy-sitting’ work and how you can get involved.
2022 – Foggy’s A to Z Adventures Around The UK
Foggy will be working his way through from A – Z in chronological order starting with Arundel on 4th April 2022. I’m hoping that we will hit Z by October though there is no set end date for this campaign. This fundraiser is happening over the Spring/Summer months mainly due to COVID19, the weather SHOULD mean activities are possible without having to spend too much time indoors due to horrible rainy UK weather.
Chronological
Because it is in chronological order, I do not know when he will be hitting certain letters of the alphabet ahead of time. i.e I can’t book him in to visit Legoland in July if he reaches the letter L in June. The challenge is to get through the alphabet as quickly as possible without Foggy going walkies on his own or having a ‘mishap’!
So How Will I ‘Recruit Foggy-Sitters’?
Resident – If you live or work somewhere in the UK that you think would be ‘adventure-worthy’ and would like to Foggy-Sit get in touch and I can match you to the appropriate letter of the alphabet on Foggy’s itinerary. For example, someone has offered to take Foggy into their workplace at the National Archives in Kew. K is now sorted (but the date is unknown).
Holidays and days out within the UK – I will only be booking ‘holiday’ visits 2 letters in advance, so when Foggy is in Berwick Upon Tweed I will be asking for someone to Foggy-Sit for the letter D. If this coincides with your schedule and you are going somewhere the following week beginning with that letter and would like to help our cause by ‘Foggy-sitting’ – Get in touch!
I will post regular updates on where Foggy has visited and where he is off to in future – keep your eyes peeled on social media.
How does ‘Foggy-Sitting’ Work?
The fun starts once you have been in touch and are on Foggy’s itinerary!
- I post Foggy to you in his ‘travel bag’ (Obviously you have to give me your postal address for me to be able to do that!)
- Show Foggy around and take photos/videos to prove where he is. Our fundraising campaigns are social media-driven so photos are key in engagement. Fun and wacky images are always best – let your imagination go wild (but keep Foggy safe and dry please!). Engagement = donations.
Alice in Wonderland – Central Park. - ‘Proof’ = At least a couple of photos have to be of Foggy next to road or building signage or identifiable landmarks. Just like in this photo! –
- Send the pics to me during his visit or share them direct to social media yourself, whichever works best for you ( we will organise that privately before his visit to you).
- After a day or two, once he has had his ‘adventure’ – it is your responsibility to post Foggy back to me at Foggy HQ. The postal cost is also your responsibility. I cover the cost of getting him to you. As this is UK only, it should cost no more than £2.50 (second class).
- Data protection is why I ask for him to be posted back to Foggy HQ between each visit. I do not give personal information of Foggy-sitters out to any other parties.
A – Z Places
In terms of this campaign, ‘places’ can be towns, cities, landmarks, or events.
Myth-busting
I’ve heard quite a bit of fake news about ‘Foggy-sitting’ over the years so, just to confirm –
- I do not charge ‘Foggy-sitters’ £20 (or similar) for the ‘privilege’ of hosting Foggy.
- When we fundraise with JustGiving every penny goes direct to Cure ME. In previous years, when we fundraised for the ME Association, money raised went to the Ramsay Research Fund (went to Cure ME/MECFS Biobank!) Now, the money goes straight to where the research happens rather than going through a charity first.
- ‘Foggy-sitting’ is not limited to people with M.E. Foggy has many Followers who do not have our disease, Team Foggy appreciate every single offer of help wherever that help comes from! Whether that is from individuals or organisations.
- We ONLY fundraise for Cure M.E. So, if a ‘Foggy-sitter’ wants to host an awareness event during Foggy’s visit that’s great but it has to be for the benefit of Cure M.E. OR ME Foggy Dog (we are a not for profit/social enterprise ourselves!) – I can supply leaflets etc.
Bucket List!
As always, Foggy’s bucket list is running alongside the adventuring! Get in touch if you can help Foggy to tick something off his bucket list! Ideally, it would be great if a letter and bucket list item could be ticked off during the same visit! Thinking outside of the box may be required to get some of these ticked off!
Remember
ME Foggy Dog’s wacky campaign has two end goals –
- To raise awareness of our poorly understood disease – Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.
- To raise as much cash as we can for biomedical research funding (donations going to Cure ME).
Please help us to make this campaign as successful as it can be.
Don’t forget to Follow Foggy on his social media channels to see what he gets up to during this A to Z adventure! (All links on mefoggydog.org)
Get in touch – mefoggydog@gmail.com
Love Sally
and Foggy (OBVIOUSLY)
xxxxx