Vikki George

Vikki set up Post Pals to encourage strangers to send a letter, to give children something to look forward to ... and they do.

Courtesy Sara Vincent, BBC News Online, South East:

When Vikki George was confined to bed with ME at the age of 16, she found herself feeling bored, frustrated and very much alone. Now 23, the Surrey teenager is determined to help children in a similar position.

Using a Prince's Trust grant, she and two friends set up Post Pals, a website which invites people to send "happy post" to chronically ill children. She and fellow ME sufferers Kat Ramsey and Vicky Miles, both of whom are now 25, set up the site to put visitors in touch, via secure addresses, with children being treated for genetic conditions or chronic illness.

Vikki, who is from Little Bookham, was diagnosed with ME - also known as chronic fatigue syndrome - at the age of 10 and was eventually forced to leave school at 15. By the following year her condition had deteriorated so much she was virtually unable to move, and had to lay in a blacked out room.. When she began receiving post via an ME charity, it made her realise how something as simple as a postcard, email or letter could make a real difference to her day.

Knowing this gave Vikki, Kat and Vicky, who is from Brighton in East Sussex, the motivation to set up the site. "I just wanted other kids to look forward to the thrill of seeing the postman instead of thinking about their illness," said Vikki.

Because all three had health problems it required a great deal of effort and planning to get the project off the ground. The group spent a lot of time researching the project and realised that nothing similar to Post Pals existed in the UK.

"It's about two things, really, offering support and revolutionising volunteering," said Vikki. "When people think of helping a child with cancer, they often think it means sponsorship or sending them to Disneyland, but a letter or email - which takes only five minutes and costs the price of a stamp - can also bring a smile and make life more bearable."

Jon Read says Post Pals was very supportive at a time when his nine-year-old son James was undergoing extensive treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. "Everybody knows how much kids love getting post but at this time, when James was at an all time low, it really gave him something to look forward to," he said. James' sisters, Philippa and Charlotte, have also received post and now have friends who they hear from regularly. Post Pals believe the brothers and sisters of an ill child also need support because so much time and energy is spent looking after the one who is ill.

Although Post Pals takes up almost all of her time and despite it being done from bed it is often extremely tiring, Vikki says it is very rewarding. "The difference it makes to people's lives makes it all worthwhile," she said.

“Vikki has quite simply made the lives of my two children bearable. My youngest has Crouzon's and my eldest, both diabetes and Hodgkin's Lymphoma…To watch a withdrawn, sick child light up after receiving a simple letter is amazing. Despite being ill herself, VIkki's simple idea now has my children receiving a letter a day. She can't get rid of their illnesses, but she can help make it easier and for me, every post day is a happier day.”

Mrs Vicky Pyne, Parent

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