Marking Social Enterprise Day 2025 Amid the Ongoing M.E./C.F.S. Crisis

Portsmouth, UK – Stripy Lightbulb CIC is proud to announce that we have been re-verified by Good Market as a People and Planet First social enterprise. This recognition comes at a critical moment: Social Enterprise Day 2025 coincides with a worsening crisis for significantly increasing numbers of people living with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (M.E./C.F.S.).

In the UK, M.E./C.F.S. remains without NHS provision, with minimal knowledge among healthcare professionals, and severely inequitable research funding compared to conditions of similar prevalence and impact. For many, this results in stigma, neglect, and a lack of meaningful support. The challenge is mountainous, but Stripy Lightbulb CIC has been slogging away since 2018 to dismantle barriers and create lasting change.

Our Mission: Tackling the M.E./C.F.S. Crisis Head-On

Stripy Lightbulb CIC exists to benefit the M.E./C.F.S. community in three key ways:

• Reducing stigma: Our training dismantles harmful misconceptions and fosters greater understanding.
• Improving support: We equip professionals and organisations with practical, accurate knowledge to better support people living with M.E./C.F.S.
• Funding research: 50% of any surplus we generate is donated to biomedical research into M.E./C.F.S., an area that remains severely underfunded.

By supporting Stripy Lightbulb CIC, partners and communities are helping to confront one of the most urgent health equity challenges of our time.

QUOTE -"The M.E./C.F.S.community is facing a crisis of neglect, no NHS provision, minimal professional knowledge, and inequitable research funding. It’s a huge mountain to climb, but Stripy Lightbulb CIC has been slogging away since 2018 to dismantle stigma, improve support, and fund the research that is so desperately needed. Being re-verified as a People and Planet First social enterprise is not just recognition of our work, it’s a call to action: together, we can build an economy that puts compassion, justice, and sustainability at its core.”

Sally Callow, Founder/Managing Director, Stripy Lightbulb CIC

Meeting the People and Planet First Criteria

Good Market’s People and Planet First verification is based on five core criteria. Stripy Lightbulb CIC is proud to demonstrate alignment with each:

1. Purpose before profit – Our mission is to benefit the M.E./C.F.S. community, not shareholders.
2. Social and environmental responsibility – We actively reduce stigma, improve support, and fund biomedical research, addressing health inequalities.
3. Transparency and accountability – We openly share our impact, including our commitment to donate 50% of surplus to research.
4. Fair trade practices – We ensure our training and services are accessible, ethical, and designed to empower communities.
5. Sustainability – By reinvesting in research and education, we contribute to long-term systemic change for people and planet.

A Growing Movement

Social Enterprise Day is a reminder that businesses can be a force for good. Stripy Lightbulb CIC is honoured to stand alongside thousands of enterprises worldwide who are reshaping the economy to put people and planet first. Together, we are proving that even in the face of overwhelming challenges, lasting change is possible.

ENDS