A shocking 1 in 4 women experience domestic abuse in their lifetime. It’s an unspoken epidemic. We need your help to raise life-saving funds for the women and children who access our services every day.
Join the Step Forward for Survivors Challenge this September and help break the silence. We’re asking you to commit to walking or running a total of 60 miles throughout the month. That’s the equivalent of 2 miles a day.
Raise £20 to receive your own Women’s Aid t-shirt to wear throughout the challenge.
How do I take part?
Complete the total miles or daily steps however is best for you. You can take on the challenge solo, or sign up with friends, family, or colleagues.
- 1st - 30th September 2024
Ready to get started?
Fill in the form to express your interest and receive updates about the challenge ahead of the official launch!
FAQs
Check out any frequently asked questions below. Or drop us an email at fundraising@womensaid.org.uk and we’ll be more than happy to help.
Signing up
Sign up to our expression of interest form to be the first to hear updates about the challenge ahead of the official launch in July.
We will send you a free Women’s Aid t-shirt once you’ve raised £20. Please allow up to 10 working days for your t-shirt to arrive.
- XS 30/32″
- S 34/36″
- M 38/40″
- L 42/44″
- XL 46/48″
- XXL 50/52″
- 3XL 54/56″
If you are unable to take part in a movement-based challenge but would like to show your solidarity with survivors, please check out our wide range of accessible fundraising activities that we’d love to support you with.
If you want to take part in the challenge but need to change the distance, feel free to adjust the target distance to a goal that is suitable for you. Whether that’s 2 kilometres or 20 daily miles!
Yes absolutely! When registering for the Step Forward Challenge, you will be given the option to create or join an already established team. If you experience issues joining a team, drop us an email at fundraising@womensaid.org.uk
You can keep track of your steps and miles by using Strava or similar fitness apps and smartwatches (i.e., the ‘Health’ app on an iPhone, Fitbit, MyFitnessPal, Google fit, etc.).
We recommend Strava as it’s the simplest way to track the distance/steps of a specific activity.
You can also download and print your mileage tracking poster. This is a great way of showing your progress and sharing the successes with family or friends.
This handy guide will help you link your page to Strava.
Important information: If you are using Strava or a similar fitness app to track your activities, please familiarise yourself with the privacy settings so that you are aware of who can view your activities and what other details they can see. You can change who can view your profile and how detailed your activities are.
Please do drop us an email at fundraising@womensaid.org.uk to have a chat about your fundraising and how we can support you and your safety.
Don’t panic! We know life can be busy and we want you to enjoy your fundraising experience. Just skip this day and focus on getting the steps in the next. Or, if you’re feeling ambitious, double your mileage to make up for any lost time.
Yes, you can! The great thing about this challenge is that you can do it anywhere. Please note that, unfortunately, we’re only able to send t-shirts to UK addresses and armed forces overseas (via The British Forces Post Office).
No! All age groups can take part. However, if you are under 16, please ensure you are supervised by a responsible adult.
Fundraising
The easiest way to raise money is to simply share your Enthuse page! You can set it up in a few seconds and then forward the link to your friends, family, or colleagues asking them to sponsor you for taking part in the challenge.
There are a few easy things you can do to boost your fundraising, including:
- Be the first to donate! Fundraisers who donate to their own page raise 120% more than those who don’t, so why not get the ball rolling to set the tone for more donations?
- Upload some pics: This is a great way of personalising your page.
- Share your story: Tell your supporters why you are taking part in the challenge and what a difference their donations will make to Women’s Aid and the survivors we support.
- Promote your page: Email a page link directly to your friends or family and share it regularly through social media.
- Keep everyone updated: Share regular updates and progress pics on your page. Your supporters will love to see your hard work and want to know how you’re getting on.
Download our ready-made social media posts on this page to share with your supporters. Include a caption explaining why you’re taking on the Step Forward Challenge and the importance of showing solidarity with survivors of domestic abuse.
Don’t forget to tag us in your photos! We’re @womensaid on Facebook and X/Twitter and @womens_aid on Instagram and TikTok.
Make sure to use the #TeamWomensAid in your posts too!
All sponsorship on your Enthuse page comes directly to Women’s Aid. It happens automatically, so no need to worry about making a transfer! Donations raised by our incredible fundraisers go to where the organisation needs it most.
- £10 could fund a life-saving conversation with a survivor and one of our specialist support workers via our Live Chat service.
- £90 could help a woman struggling to access refuge space get support from one of our specialist domestic abuse practitioners.
- £120 could help run our online community space for survivors for up to a whole day, enabling safe, peer-to-peer support.
We just ask that you fundraise whatever you can! We recommend setting a target of £150. If you surpass this, why not raise it even higher?
Don’t forget – we’ve got some great incentives for our dedicated fundraisers who take part:
- Raise £20 and receive your own Women’s Aid t-shirt to wear throughout the challenge. Why not make the first donation yourself to get the ball rolling?
- Go the extra mile – raise £500 and receive an iconic Women’s Aid hoodie.
Remember, every penny raised goes towards our essential domestic abuse services accessed by women, children, and the professionals supporting them.
Your fundraising page will remain open until the 31st October so that you have the option to follow up with any family or friends who may have missed the opportunity to sponsor you in September.
The only thing that matters is that you challenge yourself and feel proud of what you achieve. Do as much as you can. Every step helps! This is your challenge to do whichever way you like.
If you have any questions, please email fundraising@womensaid.org.uk or check out Enthuse’s support page here.
#TeamWomensAid for 2024
Join the amazing community of people who have been part of #TeamWomensAid. We are overwhelmed by the support of individuals and teams across the UK.
What did last year’s challenge champions think?
“I walk a lot anyway, but not every day so it gave me the incentive to get out every day.”
“It was great how everyone supported each other. On tough days the group kept me going.”
“We loved it and it energised all of our team” (1.7 Challenge, Corporate Supporter)
“Brilliant experience - improved my fitness, made new friends and raised money for an organisation I'm indebted to.”
Download your ready-made social media posts