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Alison and team take on Potters 'Arf

“Hello, my name is Alison and I have just taken part in my first marathon (walking) to raise funds for the charity Fibromyalgia Action UK. I want to share my story about why I chose to raise funds for this charity as someone very special to me suffers with Fibromyalgia and struggles as she faces daily life.

Twelve months ago whilst in our local city centre, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, celebrating my youngest daughter, Amy’s, birthday, the participants in the Potters ’Arf were crossing the finish line. We stopped to applaud and cheer their achievements. Whilst there we discovered that there was also a walking race over the same distance and course. We said, “We can do that, let’s do a girls challenge”. At this point we realised it wouldn’t be practical for my older daughter, Charlotte, to do this as she is a sufferer of several conditions, Fibromyalgia being one of them. Her partner, James, kindly agreed to join us and so the decision was taken to register for the race and to support Fibromyalgia Action UK.

Charlotte, my daughter, has suffered with this condition for many years. Like many with this condition, she struggles with things many of us take for granted. It causes her widespread pain throughout her whole body, which makes sleeping difficult and results in her being extremely fatigued. She also suffers from IBS as a consequence which results in her having low tolerance of some foods. In addition to this, it causes her to have sensitivity to light and temperature making everyday life very difficult. We chose this charity to support to try and get the condition out more in the public eye. It can be a hugely debilitating condition for which there is no cure and people need to recognise all disabilities are not visible. More exposure of this condition will help to educate people about the effects this condition can have on an individual and continue to support those affected.

Walking is one of our favourite hobbies, and I thought combining this passion with the desire to help others would be perfect. However, we did not realise how much of a challenge the Potters ‘Alf would be. Training has not always been easy with a full-time job but 13.1 miles long and tackling the infamous ‘heartbreak hill’ we have truly thrown our all into this challenge in aid of a brilliant cause.

We walked for my daughter and everyone who is suffering, knowing every step we took is towards a better understanding and future for those who suffer.

I am proud to be supporting Fibromyalgia Action UK and I hope that our efforts will make a difference for all those affected.

I would like to thank Amy and James for walking with me and John, Charlotte and Jack our backup crew for all their support. Also, to each and every person who has sponsored us and given their support to this challenge.”

To donate at Alison and her team's fundraising page, please click here.

If you have been by inspired to fundraise by Alison's story, please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Durham Univerisity Jazz Society raises awareness of fibro and funds for FMA UK

UPDATE: since their Charity Jazz Ball, Durham University Jazz Society have won the Palatinate award for Best Music Outreach and Fundraising 2023!

Durham University Jazz Society recently held a Charity Jazz Ball in aid of Fibromyalgia Action UK. Their Social and Outreach Officer, Athena, recently told us why she chose to fundraise for FMA UK and raise awareness of fibro.

“Fibromyalgia has made my mum’s life difficult in a way I could never even begin to imagine. It’s made working and managing a house extremely challenging, but more than that, it has deprived her of precious life experiences with her family.

When I was younger, I used to want to go to a theme park every year for my birthday, and so we would all go as a family. Gradually over the years, it became more and more taxing for my mum to go on the rides, and soon enough, she was only able to sit and watch while my dad took us on the rides.

Similarly, as a musician, I’ve always enjoyed going to concerts, but the whole ordeal of attending a concert over time has become too much for my mum, and so again, my dad became my concert buddy. Don’t get me wrong, my dad has always been the best concert buddy, but my heart hurts for my mum knowing that she can only watch on from the sidelines.

This by no means, however, is to say that my mum has never been involved. She is the best mum I could ever ask for, and has time and time again sacrificed her own comfort and exacerbated her symptoms in order to prioritise my and my sister’s needs and support us in her own unique way when that sacrifice is not possible.

Hence, I chose to support Fibromyalgia UK as they help those who have the condition in a variety of hands-on and life-changing ways. A couple of the things within the long list of ways in which they help out that hugely stuck out to me were the benefits support and their involvement with medical professionals. It is rare to find a charity that advocate so strongly for the people they are supporting with such complex issues that are often hidden behind closed doors. Sufferers of fibromyalgia get very little support from medical professionals and are left in the dark about what is happening to their bodies and what they can do to help themselves and so having a charity like Fibromyalgia UK to represent them in a professional environment is vital to understanding how to still live a fulfilling life.

Durham University students love nothing more than a ball, and the Jazz Society host a charity ball each year for their members. Being the 2022-23 Social and Outreach Officer, planning the ball fell to me this year, and I thought there couldn’t be a better way to represent Fibromyalgia than with this event. We hired three jazz bands as well as a party band, all student-led, to entertain our eighty-three guests as well as putting on a meal for them in Durham Masonic Hall.

My mum has taught me that having the energy and facilities to be able to play music and perform is valuable, and so I wanted to provide as many people as possible with the opportunity to do what they love for a great cause. The meal also gave the tired students a chance to sit back and relax and not need to worry about cooking for themselves, another challenge that people with Fibromyalgia face.

Ultimately, the ball was a blast, a cracking party which, for me personally, was a chance to celebrate my mum and all the amazing things she has achieved despite her condition. I’ll never be able to repay my mum for all of the sacrifices she has made for me to have such a fulfilling life so full of love so the least I could do was honour her with this ball.”

If you have been by inspired to fundraise by Athena's story, please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..