LONGECITY

Team Guidelines

a. Snail mail and/or phone gain points by posting the name of the person they are sending the letter to, the letter they are sending, and a verification when it is sent. The posts must be made in this topic.

With phone the person must post the name of the person they are going to call, post what they are going to say, and then post what the people on the phone said when they are done.

b. Email gains a person points when they do the same as with snail mail.

snailmail/phone
minimum= 1 contact
active=3 contacts
extraordinary=at the discretion of the team leader

email
minimum= 1
active=3
extraordinary=at the discretion of the team leader
Edited by brokenportal, 01 September 2011 - 01:23 AM.

Suggestions?

I have contacted the following by snail mail today:

My Local MP
My Prime Minister
Andrew Lansley CBE MP (Secretary of State for Health)
Simon Burns MP (Minister of State for Health)
Paul Burstow MP (Minister of State For Care Services)
Anne Milton MP (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health)
Lord Howe (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Quality)
Cliff Richard (he's known as The Peter Pan of Pop and he's getting on...got to worry him a bit)
June Brown (she mentioned something about how getting old if you have no money is scary. I took this angle when composing a letter)
Tom Jones (he's a bit of a dinosaur, may or may not take note)
Elton John (same reasons as above)
Barbara Windsor (another Eastenders older person)

I know that the contacts may seem a touch random but I'm personally of the opinion that any famous peron lending support is a good thing.

If anyone here is based in the UK and reading this (or even if you're foreign and don't mind paying air mail), feel free to steal my ideas and use the same contacts. I won't mind.

That's an impressively long list. I have sent out around 4 to 6 snail mails at the same time, to VIPs, for the cause before.

I wrote to Martin Cooper about the cause this month. He is the inventor of the mobile phone. He is getting up there in age. I like the prospect of inventors because they are big, outside the box thinkers.

That list was powered by a rare Bank Holiday and a twelve pack of second class stamps I was determined to us for the cause. I more or less used the same leter with minor alterations.

Got a response from Lord Howe. Cannot read the writing too well but it says something along the lines of "I'm afraid its about as far as I feel the wish to go, on rather a sombre subject. [word I can't read that looks like "Eohan"] good wish."

Shame he won't consider it any further but at least I've raised awareness.

That's a success on many levels. It opens the door more, it activates his reticular activating system to the cause where he is probably more likely to perk up the next time he sees or hears about something related going on. It opens the door for future rounds, maybe events in the area, etc, to get through to him. We could tailor another with the tone of this one in mind. Its good practice, and other things.

Good job, thanks, and other people, please jump on in and give this project a hand.

Good job, thanks, and other people, please jump on in and give this project a hand.

I personally would not like to send another letter to a man who has said he'd not like to talk any further about it. I feel that it is like preaching/ramming something down another's neck and that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. However, perhaps someone else can send that tailored letter you speak of?

Yes people, please jump on board and help to spread the word! If you are in UK, feel free to use my list of MPs etc. The more that we contact people in power, the more they will be reminded and made to think of it.

Had a response from writing to Sir Cliff Richard:

Thank you for your letter to Sir Cliff Richard.

Sir Cliff spends most of his time overseas, so is unable to reply personally to the many hundreds of letters which are sent to him each week, but you can be sure that this reflects no lack of appreciation of all those who write to him so positively and enthusiastically. He asks me to thank you for your own letter too regarding healthy life extension.

Yours sincerely

Tania Hogan

Well even if Sir Cliff never set eyes on it, at least someone has and may think about our cause. Please forgive my cynicism towards celeb culture and all things celeb-related.

That is good news yes, and we forgive you. If you contact say, 10 people, then in the future, a few years from now, I will be willing to bet you that you will see impacts of those letters, if even very small. If a person writes 100 letters, I bet they'll really be surprised by the impact. I was half into this team at first. I thought it was a good solid gamble. The more I work with it, every month for years now, the more I come to see that this team really has a lot of potential. Just ten of us writing a letter or two per month for a year, I think would really be noticeable in a few years.

Got another response troday:

I am writing on behalf of the Prime Minister to thank you for your letter of 29 August.

Mr Cameron very much appreciates your taking time and trouble to inform him of your views.

With best wishes.

Yours sincerely

Correspondence Officer.

Yet another case of "God knows if the intended person ever saw it but at least someone did."