Our Story

"Hi, I’m Darren, the proud founder of AndRest.co.uk and a person living with ME since childhood (although, I was only diagnosed at age 28).

ME or ME/CFS is a chronic illness that affects multiple systems in the body. The defining symptom is called PEM, post-exertional malaise, which is the worsening of symptoms, like debilitating fatigue, pain, cognitive difficulties, sleep issues and more, after physical, mental or emotional exertion.

There are no approved treatments, so our only option is to manage symptoms with rest and pain management.

The endless experimentation with products to help alleviate my symptoms led many friends and family to encourage me to write a blog to provide reviews of them to help others with ME.

The blog never came to fruition but in its stead, a richer idea with a broader and fuller scope in the form of AndRest.co.uk has!

My vision for AndRest.co.uk is to be more than just an online store selling products, it's to be a hub for wellness; offering support, as well as products, to people that do and don't have ME or other health challenges. It's to be a reminder to slow down in a world that rarely does.

Every part of the site is designed for you to take it easy whilst browsing the pages - from the colours to the lack of pop ups. A bit like the leisurely strolls we all used to take down the isles of BHS (remember them?!).

Going forward, we will have a blog section (I can hear my friends shout “finally!”) sharing tips from me and other people living with ME on everything we have learnt about rest - what it is, what it isn't(!) and how to get the most from it, so subscribe to our email list and keep an eye out for those!

In the meantime, thank you so much for being here. I really appreciate it and would love to hear from you about your experiences using the site, any particular products you would like us to include or just fancy reminiscing with us about other much-loved old high street stores, because who is actually over the closure of Woolworths!?"

D💜