Name:Vikki

Age: 24

Location: England

About me: I’ve been ill on and off since I was young, and have been bedbound for the past 7 years with severe ME. For 5 years I was unable to walk or even sit up but I have now improved and can go out of the house in my wheelchair from time to time which I'm loving! Like so many with chronic illnesses all my friends lost touch with me and I became isolated. When I first became bedbound I was sent so many cards it wasn’t long before my walls and ceiling were covered, it became my reason to wake up each day.

It was this that gave me the idea for Post Pals, although I hoped it would "catch on" I didn't dream it would touch as many lives as it has, both families with seriously ill children and of the volunteers around the world. I'm so very proud of it! I do the running of Post Pals from bed with a laptop, and my room (and I confess a big chunk of my parents house) looks like a cross between a mail room and a toy shop!

Since setting up Post Pals I have won "Readers Digest Hero of the Year 2006" and "Beacon Award for Young Philanthropist 2008".

I first got into voluntary work at the age of 5 when I helped my grandparents working for Rainbow Trust from the charity's early days. In 2002 I completed my 200 hours on the Millennium Volunteer scheme with AYME, at the time of setting up Post Pals I was also volunteering online for Brainfog and Patchworx (an American charity for seriously ill young people which has now closed).

My main passions are keeping Post Pals going and raising awareness of severe ME

Name: Vix

Age: 26

Location: Brighton, South East

Post Pals Job: Trustee

Employment: Special Educational Needs Assistant

About me: I became ill with M.E. during my A’ levels in 2000 and am now in recovery. Since then I've taken up studies in counselling and have stationed a help line for M.E. suffers in need of support.

While I was ill I used to co-ordinated a scheme run by AYME where teddy bears were hand made and sent to severely affected members. This lead to me completing my 200 hours on the Millennium Volunteer program.

Within Post Pals I have preciously dealt with the treasury but since handing over to Jan, I have been able to concentrate more on raising awareness of Post Pals, running school workshops.

Coming soon

Name: Snaily trailers

Age: 15 – 34

Location: Sliming all over the UK

Post Pals Job: General

Employment: Eating leaves

About us: We all know it's you, members of the public who help make a difference to sick children by logging online and sending post to the Pals, but behind that is a network of dedicated volunteers (Snaily trailers) who handle all kinds of jobs.

The Team knew their health was likely to cause problems with trying to run the project and so they set about finding some special people (us) who could give an hour or two a week to assist the team with the little and not so little jobs. Sometimes it's research or making hand made cards, teaching one of us to use a program or compiling charity lists.

The team feel we are just as important to Post Pals as them, the Pals and lovely people like you. There are too many of us to mention by name, but at the last team meeting there was a delivery of snails arrived for the birthday boxes.

The little blighters had a mind of their own and before we knew it they were out of control. In a flash Kat found a camera and we think it’s the perfect picture to represent those who do so much and ask for so little in return, the 'Snaily trailers'!

Fearne Cotton is renowned Radio 1 DJ and Television Presenter, working on programs as versatile as the Xtra Factor, Live 8 and interviewing the Princes at the Diana Concert. As well as fronting the Children in Need Appeal. She is also well known on a variety of children television programs resulting in fans of all ages.

Fearne presented the award of "Favourite Lottery Funded Project South East 2006" to Post Pals and has supported us from then on. In September 2007 she officially became our patron.

She says, "I'm honoured to be asked to be patron and so happy to help spread the Post Pals word! What a great idea! Its so easy to make a kid smile"