Walk All Over Cancer FAQs

Participants raise money by challenging themselves to walk 10,000 steps a day throughout March. They can take on the challenge any way they wish, solo, as a team, etc. 

Once you have signed up, join the Facebook Group dedicated to this challenge: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1270013807356192 

Click 'Join Group'. Once you're in, you can get tips for walking 10,000 steps in March be inspired by other fundraisers and find out anything you want to know about the challenge.   

Whilst we encourage everyone to complete this challenge throughout the month of March, this is a personal challenge, and you can start and finish your challenge at a time that is convenient for you.  

Yes! If you don’t have Facebook, you can set up a Cancer Research UK Online Giving Page using the link below and collect sponsorship for your Walk All Over Cancer Challenge: https://activities.cancerresearchuk.org/walk-all-over-cancer-2025 

There is no entry fee for this challenge. Participants are required to collect any sponsorship to Cancer Research UK through their Online Giving Page. This will automatically be sent to us once paid onto your fundraising page.

You can break up the 10,000 steps any way you like. We'd recommend aiming for about 5 miles or 8 kilometres a day to spread the distance throughout the month. There are people of all levels of fitness doing this challenge, so tailor the challenge however you like. However, you choose to break down the 10,000 steps, you’ll be helping beat cancer.  

There are lots of ways you can track your steps. We will be sending a digital calendar along with the fundraising pack where you can track your steps. Alternatively, we also recommend Strava and Fitbit apps. You can easily link these apps with our Online Giving Pages which is great for boosting donations. Alternatively, your phone will have plenty of free pedometer apps or you could buy a cheap one from your local gym or running shop.  

10,000 steps equates to 4-5 miles or 8 kilometres a day which can easily be achieved without extreme physical activity.

There are plenty of ways you can hit your target – attempt to make up the numbers with a couple of shorter walks through the week, or save them for a big walk on the weekend! 

No, we trust you! You don’t need to provide evidence that you’ve completed the challenge to us. Updating your friends and family on your fundraising page is important! Make sure you keep them posted on your progress and share videos and photos throughout March– the more updates the better. Supporters who regularly post their progress raise on average 40% more.  

We recommend you connect your Giving Page to Fitbit or Strava so you can track your steps or miles automatically.

Find out how here.:

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/fitbit  

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/strava   

*Please note: With Strava there is sometimes a 48-hour lag in the Strava data being updated, and if the miles still aren't showing, disconnect and reconnect to do a hard reset and this will add any miles already on the Strava account.  

Absolutely! If you’ve set up an Online Giving Page, it’ll remain active so your supporters can continue to donate for as long as you want to continue.  

If you’re unsure about whether the weather will cause sunburn/skin damage, please check the UV forecast here: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/uv-index-forecast/#?tab=map&map=MaxUVIndex&zoom=5&lon=-4.00&lat=55.71&fcTime=1653879600  

If you're walking outside in the sun, use plenty of sunscreen with SPF 15+ with a 4 or 5 * rating which will sufficiently protect your skin (and apply everywhere, not just exposed skin!), also apply each time you walk, if breaking it up throughout the day!   

You can find further information via the CRUK website at cruk.org/sun 

• Hydrate before, during, and after your walk . 

• Watch your alcohol and medication intake. Alcohol, antidepressants, antihistamines, and other medicines have dehydrating effects. Using them before you walk can make you need the toilet, compounding your risk of dehydration.  

• Try to walk during cooler parts of the day and in shade, where possible, if walking in the heat of the sun, try to do less steps during that walk and make them up another time!  

• Light coloured clothes reflect the sun’s rays, avoid tight or heavy clothes, and switch to thinner socks.  

• Sunscreen is important for your skin in the hot weather, and if you’re sensitive to insect bites then make sure to use some insect repellent.  
    
  Remember to listen to your body and don’t push yourself If you’re feeling fatigues, dizzy, etc. Stop for rests and if urgent, seek medical attention.   

For more info see this guide:   

• https://www.runnersneed.com/expert-advice/training/run-in-the-sun.html  

• https://www.ramblers.org.uk/about-us    

• Dress in layers. Multiple light layers can help keep your body insulated while allowing heat to circulate throughout your body without overheating. Your first layer should be moisture-wicking and a light fleece layer should keep you warm.  

• Recover afterward. This will help protect your muscles from cramping, soreness, and dehydration.   

• Warm-up. Do a few jumping jacks or high knees to warm your body up before you go outside.  

• Pick a safe route. Areas of pavements that aren’t shovelled can cause barriers to your route.   

• Wear bright colours. Winters are known for dark mornings and dark afternoons. Wear bright clothing and reflective gear to ensure others see you walking.  

• Grab a scarf. If you have asthma the cold air could agitate your lungs. Wrap the scarf over your nose and mouth.  

• Look at your shoes. Make sure your shoe has more traction than found in a typical gym shoe. If it needs more traction, look into ice cleats that you can add to the bottom of any shoe. Don’t forget to avoid mesh fabric!  

• Cover your hands and ears. Avoid frostbite by covering those vulnerable areas on your body.  

It’s not unusual to encounter bad weather when out walking in the UK, so it’s important that you have the right equipment and top tips if you’re to go out walking in adverse weather. Alternatively, it’s more than ok for you to complete the steps inside on a treadmill at home and at the gym, if that’s an option for you.  
  
When taking on a walk in adverse weather, remember to check your route and know your trail, understanding your surroundings will help you avoid difficult terrain and ensure you stick to safer, flat surfaces.   
  
There’s always a chance you’ll be caught off guard in bad weather whilst out and about. See below some useful equipment to consider:  

• Waterproof clothing  

• Walking shoes/boots and walking socks  

• Warm clothing and layers (thermals, gloves, hats, fleece, long trousers)  

• Water and food  

• Mobile phone

Complete the below form to receive your free t-shirt in the post (note you will also get a Giving Page once you’ve submitted your t-shirt request). Once completed, please allow 10- 15 working days for your t-shirt to arrive: https://activities.cancerresearchuk.org/walk-all-over-cancer-2025 

If you have not received your t-shirt within this time, please contact: supporter.services@cancer.org.uk.  

Unfortunately, it costs Cancer Research more money to return the t-shirt, therefore, we ask that you keep hold of it for personal use (for example bed, gym, give to a friend, etc). If you would like a replacement, please visit our online shop below: https://shop.cancerresearchuk.org/product/cancer-research-uk-t-shirt 

Sending out your t-shirt comes at a cost to Cancer Research UK so please only order one t-shirt to ensure as much fundraising goes towards our life saving research. We ask if you do request a t-shirt that you set up a Giving Page and make a donation to your page.  

If you would like to order more t-shirts, please visit our online shop: https://shop.cancerresearchuk.org/product/cancer-research-uk-t-shirt   

Setting up a Giving Page is the easiest way to raise money. You can set one up here: https://activities.cancerresearchuk.org/walk-all-over-cancer-2025 

It's then easy to share the page with your friends to gather sponsorship for your challenge.   

Unfortunately, medals come at a huge cost to the charity so we will not be sending these out. However, we will send all supporters a certificate in their completion email at the end of the challenge and they can access downloadable digital badges to shout about their achievement on social. 

There is not a minimum amount of fundraising that we set for participants, but we recommend that participants set a reasonable target of raising about £150.   

You can use our sponsorship form here to raise money rather than using an online method. Simply download and print it off to keep track of all your sponsorship collected or pledged. Once you have completed your fundraising, please send the form with a cheque to:   

Walk All Over Cancer Challenge 2025, Cancer Research UK, PO BOX 1561, Oxford, OX4 9GZ  

Please note we are currently experiencing a delay in receiving and processing donations so do bear with us if it takes a little longer than usual to receive an acknowledgment. 

Walk All Over Cancer is a fundraising initiative specifically developed by Cancer Research UK, and therefore all fundraising must go direct the charity. 

Gift Aid is a tax relief allowing UK charities to reclaim an extra 25% on every eligible donation made by a UK taxpayer. This means Cancer Research UK can claim an extra 25p for every £1 donated, without it costing you or your sponsors an extra penny. If the donation is eligible for Gift Aid, sponsors need to fill out the sponsor form, following the guidelines at the top of the page.

We have plenty of fundraising tools and ideas to help you raise life-saving donations. Please see our fundraising hub with everything you need from the challenge here.

As part of the automated email journey users will receive a link here to materials which they can download. No physical copies will be sent of any of the fundraising materials.    

Yes, under 18s can take part in this challenge, but we do not market to them and any third-party platform forum (e.g. a Facebook forum) is only available to over 18s. If under 18s are taking part, their parent/guardian must consent to the child’s participation, supervise the challenge and accept responsibility for complying with the challenge rules. Currently we are unable to accept registration for a child, so the child’s parent/guardian must register on the child’s behalf. Similarly, if a child wants to raise money online and/or join a forum, the child’s parent/guardian must register for an online fundraising page and/or join the forum on the child’s behalf. 

Participants must register as an individual but can take on the challenge as a team and split the steps up as a group or all complete 10,000 steps a day. You can download the team form here. They can also set up a team.

Online Giving Page and invite other registrants to join via the Cancer Research UK online fundraising site.   

To set up a team:  

1. All your team will need to sign up to the Walk All Over Cancer Challenge so they each have their own Online Giving Page. You can sign-up here. (Why not share that link with others to make it easy for them?)  

2. Once everyone has signed up, log into your account  

3. Hit the 'Create new team' button and follow the instructions  

4. Once you've created your team, you can send the team page URL to friends and family so they can join too!  

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/get-involved/find-an-event/charity-walks/how-to-set-up-a-team/index.html 

As the main route we will be promoting Online Fundraising but supporters can as always create a Facebook Fundraiser. If they do wish to do this, we would advise they set up a Giving Page first and then connect to Facebook on their Giving Page.

Facebook Fundraisers are automatically set up to only stay open for ten days. To make the most of your fundraising efforts, you need to change the end date to keep your fundraiser open throughout and after the challenge. To change the end date simply, click ‘More’ under the invite button, then click ‘Edit Fundraiser’. We recommend setting this date to at least a month after your challenge has ended so you can continue to collect vital donations for your efforts! 

Unfortunately, once your Facebook Fundraiser has finished you cannot reopen the same fundraising page. However, you can create a new one and set the end date for past your challenge, so that you can continue receiving donations once you’ve finished your challenge: http://www.facebook.com/fund/cancerresearchuk/ 

Donating on Facebook is safe and secure and there is no fee taken from Facebook to set up a Facebook Fundraiser. If you have any suspicious charges, we recommend speaking directly to your bank. If you have any questions about your Facebook Fundraiser please contact Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/help