Forever FundsA special way to remember

A special way to rememberYour Forever Fund is a very special way for you, your family and friends to pay tribute to your loved one; a place where you can honour them and their life while raising money to fight meningitis. We are here to help you grow your Fund and also to give you any support that you need along the way.

How to grow your Forever FundWatching a Forever Fund grow provides a huge sense of achievement and is a powerful and positive way to honour the life of someone special. There are many simple ways to grow your Forever Fund – here are just a few ideas:

•Talk to your friends and family about your loved one’s Forever Fund and how they can contribute.

•Dedicate a. online Forever Fund candle to your loved one’s fund with a personal message. You might like to leave a candle to commemorate a special occasion.

•Organise your own fundraising event. Our community fundraisers are here to support you every step of the way, so don’t be daunted! www.mnow.co.uk/yourownevent

Your own events can be anything you like. Here are some examples to get you started:

•Disco/dinner •Raffle•Cake sale •Car wash•Bingo night

Look in your fundraising pack for more inspirational ideas or contact your Local Community Fundraiser who will be happy to help you.

Ask colleagues to fundraise. You could ask work colleagues to raise donations for your Forever Fund by having a dress down day at your workplace or holding a cake sale. Why not ask your company for a donation or for ‘matched funding’, where they match your donation pound for pound?•Take part in one of our event challenges, such as our popular Three Peaks

Challenge. Meningitis Now also offers a host of other events, whether your passion is running, cycling or walking there will be something for you.

Contact our events team to find out more – Call 0845 120 4530, email events@meningitisnow.org, or visit us at www.meningitisnow.org/fundraising/events

•Setting up a regular donation (either a monthly or yearly Direct Debit) is a simple – yet effective-way to add funds to your Forever Fund. You might also want to ask friends and family to make donations on a special occasion, such as an anniversary or birthday. Regular donations are effective for Meningitis Now, as they not only help increase our funds but they also allow us to plan ahead with confidence.

When your fund has raised £500, we will send you an exclusive Meningitis Now rose to plant in your garden. When your fund reaches £5,000 we will add your loved one’s name to our remembrance plaque in our special memorial woodlands plot near Bristol.

Monthly regular donation of £5 over 12 months: £60

Wedding donations in lieu

of gifts: £298

Funds raised through holding a Coffee Break: £142

Example of a Forever Fund raising money towards their first milestone

Total amount in the Fund: £510

Lighting a Candle: £10

George’s Story:After losing her son George to meningitis, Emma

and her family and friends have been tireless in raising money in his memory. Their Forever Fund, launched in October 2013, has already raised nearly £25,000. Activities and events

include taking part in the Morecambe Bay Walk, organising a family fun day and a dinner dance,

a snooker challenge, bag packs, a sky dive and much more.

Emma says: “It comforts me to raise money in memory of George because it helps keep his memory alive. I find it gives me

something positive and rewarding to focus on and what better tribute to his short life than to be able to save and help others in his memory.

There’s no better way to honour him.”

Rhys’ Story:With the help of her family, Helen Taylor has raised over £5,400 in memory of her special son Rhys. Helen and her family have organised a number of raffles and auctions, taken part in the London Marathon and have also arranged for a band to play for free in a local pub in order to raise money.

Helen says ”Raising money in Rhys’ name has been a positive way for me and my family to remember him, and we hope it will make a real difference to other families affected by this terrible disease.”

Supporters’ stories:

Tools that will help you We understand that you may want to tell your family and friends about your loved one’s Forever Fund. We can provide two effective ways to help you:

Announcement cards: These cards can be found at the back of this booklet and are a great resource to pass on to people to let them know what you are doing. Please let us know if you need more at any time and we will post these to you.

Email banner:We can provide you with a special email banner, which you can place at the bottom of your emails. This banner can link directly to your Forever Fund page and is a great way for your contacts to reach the page with one easy click. Please contact us with your email address, if you would like one sent to you.

Tel: 01453 769082

Nurse-led helpline:

0808 80 10 388

www.MeningitisNow.org

Meningitis Now, Fern House Bath Road,

Stroud, Glos GL5 3TJ

Registered Charity (England) 803016 (Scotland) SC037790

Meningitis Now Forever Funds

....................................................................................................

Wishes to let you know that a Forever Fund

has been set up in the name of:

............................................................................................................

and invites you to contribute in their

memory should you wish.

http://mnow.co.uk/ForeverFunds.........................................................................

How we’ll support you At Meningitis Now we recognise that it can be difficult to ask for help when someone close to you has died. We offer practical, emotional and financial support for you and your family, whenever it’s needed.We can:•Listen and answer your questions about meningitis and septicaemia•Talk to you about your individual experience and how we can tailor our

help to your needs•Visit you in your own home and provide support locally to you•Put you in touch with others who have had a similar experience of

meningitis and its devastating impact•Provide financial assistance for unexpected costs following meningitis,

such as funeral expenses and headstones•Support you and those closest to you; children, teenagers and adults, and

the extended family such as grandparents•Make you a priority; we have no waiting lists for our servicesIf you are interested in finding out how we can help, give us a call and we can talk everything through. Meningitis helpline 0808 80 10 388 (UK)

Our founder Steve Dayman lost his son, Spencer, to meningitis in 1982. He is always available to offer support, over the phone or for home visits.Call Steve direct on 07903 412144 or email steved@meningitisnow.org

How your loved one’s Forever Fund will help make a huge difference to others

The money raised through your loved one’s Fund will be used to provide support and care for life for those affected by meningitis; raising awareness through education and training; and funding research into the after-effects and aftercare of this devastating disease.

£100pays for an awareness talk at

school and enables us to leave behind information packs, to help make staff and pupils

more aware of the signs and symptoms of the disease.

£500provides 16,650 families

with symptoms cards which will help save a life through

the early identification of the symptoms of meningitis.

£1,000pays for a week of respite care at home to give the

family of someone who has been severely disabled by

meningitis a much-needed break.

£3,000can purchase a biological

microscope, to help with our ongoing and crucial research

into new and improved preventative vaccines.

£5,000can fund two specialist sports

wheelchairs to help the mobility of children who have suffered physical disabilities

from meningitis.

FAQsI am raising funds by taking part in an event. Can I set up a separate page for these funds to go to?

Yes, you can set up subfund pages very easily if you have an online Forever Fund. Click on the ‘Start fundraising’ button on the right hand side of your Forever Fund page and follow the simple steps.

What can my visitors and I do on my online Forever Fund page?

•Make donations directly online•Write journal entries •Write in the visitors’ book•Upload photographs (there is a maximum limit of 24 photos)•Dedicate a candle to your loved one with a personal message•Set up subfunds for any event and/or occasion where you or they would

like to make a collection for the Forever Fund. So, if someone in your family is getting married or one of your friends is running a marathon, they can set up their own page and all the money that they raise through their event will be credited to the Forever Fund you have set up.

Can I change the page?

Once your page is published you can use the admin area at any time to change:•Your message•Your journal•Your photographs•Your password

Will the money I have already raised in memory be added to my Forever Fund total?

Yes. Once you have set up your Forever Fund we will add all money raised in memory of your loved one so far to your Forever Fund total.

Can I keep my Forever Fund private?

Yes. Your Forever Fund can be made private at any time. Whether you permit general access or not, you will still be able to give access to your selected family and friends.

For more frequently asked questions on our Forever Funds please visit www.mnow.co.uk/ForeverFunds, call 01453 769082 or emailforeverfunds@meningitisnow.org

©Meningitis Now 2014 Registered Charity Number 803016 (England & Wales) SC037790 (Scotland)

saving lives,rebuilding futures