Simply sign up, create your ready-made page on our leaderboard, set your target and spread the word far and wide! How and when you do it, is entirely up to you!  The only essential is to let everyone know you’re taking on this challenge for a great cause, so they can donate and support you like the HHUGS Hero you are!

Walking in Their Shoes has traditionally been a 5 mile walk. However, as this is all about doing it Your Way, it’s entirely up to you. Only you know what will stretch yourself. You might want to increase it to 10, 15 or 20 miles or take on a greater challenge over the Winter months.

You can hold your Walking in Their Shoes challenge at any time between now and the end of Winter – February 28^th 2022.

Not at all. You might choose to do it all in a day, or instead you may prefer to break down your distance goals into chunks that suit you, across multiple days or split the distance and take it on as a relay.

The beauty of this challenge is that you can choose where you walk, wherever you are in the world. Whether your content with your local park or want to venture further out to witness some of the most scenic spots in your country; maybe you prefer stick to the safety of laps in your garden or even by covering the distance on your stairs – however, you choose to do it, by going the distance this Winter you will bring HHUGS families closer to warm relief during this icy season.

If you’re struggling for inspiration, get in touch with our Fundraising Team and we can help suggest locations for your walk, local to you, depending on the distance and difficulty you would like to undertake for your challenge.

You can walk in their shoes regardless of your age. If you are under 18 we request that a parent or guardian registers on your behalf.

No, the Walking in Their Shoes challenge is completely free! We only ask that you use your energy in raising as much funds as possible to help those in need.

The fundraising target is a minimum of £150. We are confident however that this is easily achievable with a little effort from you and support from us

Wear comfortable footwear (walking boots or trainers are advisable), and depending on the weather, warm and waterproof clothing.

That really depends on the nature of the challenge that you choose. We want you all to enjoy taking part in Walking in Their Shoes but in a safe way without overdoing it. The distance, difficulty and terrain is entirely up to you. There’s no pace you have to walk at, there’s no set distance you have to achieve. You do as much or as little as you want to, and we’ll be here to encourage you along the way. We want you to challenge yourselves but please, take care and don’t overstretch yourselves.

Walking five miles takes approximately 2 – 3 hours for the average person. People of all fitness levels are welcome to participate, and hence why people are willing to sponsor you to do the walk. If you have any existing medical conditions or any concerns, please consult your doctor before you register or undertake any extensive activity.

Of course you can. Just email us on [email protected] with your updated date.

Easy. Your fundraising page will be set up automatically when you register and will be added to our very own leaderboard system, the first gaming leaderboard to be created by any charity!  To make it that much easier, we can even do that for you!

Once you’ve set your target, share the page with your friends, family and colleagues. It’ll have all the details of the challenge you’re taking on – and allows people to sponsor you and donate straight to HHUGS, quickly and easily online.

£150 may seem daunting at first, but it’s really as simple as getting 15 friends to donate £10.

If that’s a breeze, you can set your heights on a higher target – £500 or £1000 – easily achieved with just 20 friends donating £50.

Many novice fundraisers have doubted they could raise £150 but with sincere intentions, du’a and the help of Allah they went to raise £1000 in the space of a few days. Some went on to smash the target by raising £5000 or £10000!! So never underestimate what you can achieve!

We’re on hand to support and encourage you at every stage, and if you’re not a confident wordsmith, we can even provide template messages for you to share if you’re short of ideas.   Remember to use all means at your disposal to share your page – WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, Telegram and SMS. Some even made videos to encourage people, and got their parents and children to compete with them in the process!  Whether you’re a novice or an experienced fundraiser, this method is tried and tested.

Here are a few tips:

Fundraising pages are just like paper sponsorship forms, except they’re online, so you don’t have to worry about dealing with cash, cheques and chasing sponsors after the event is finished. You could even create your own fundraising team to help you spread the word!

Level up your profile – Add an image, complete your story and set your event date.

Kick-start your fundraising by donating to yourself. It’s a great way to begin your fundraising!

Set a target: Aim high and keep your friends and family updated on how close you are to reach your goal!

Spread the word. Once your page has been created you can share it with your contacts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. You can also share it via a SMS message, e-mailing your contacts, or sending a WhatsApp and Telegram broadcast to your friends and family. Don’t forget to share it on any groups that you’re on.

You can also share it on your story on WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram.

Change your profile picture on all your social media platforms to our very own fundraiser avatar. You can even add it to your email signature! And of course don’t forget the old fashioned way of speaking to friends and family on the phone too!

Let everyone know when the countdown to your challenge has begun by using our social media badges and sharing your page on your social media channels.

Use social media to promote your walk through status updates, posting photos as your train, or undertake your walk, making videos, sending messages. Encourage others to join you if it’s safe to do so and you’re in a group of six!

Think of fun ways to help donations roll in and the hours will fly by.

Ask for help! Don’t be afraid to ask for tips from other fundraisers on our WhatsApp groups or asking staff for ways to energise donors if you find you’re getting stuck.

Here are some other ways to help:

Get your fundraising matched by a colleague, workplace or friend·

Contact your local press and radio stations with your fundraising·

Contact local businesses for their support by asking them to sponsor you·

We can send you a Charity Collection Penny Box which you can place at home or work if you’re back in the office, and even at the till of your local take away (with permission!). Order yours now at hhugs.org.uk/pennybox.

Even if a lot of events have ceased, you can still contact your ISOC, School, Scouts groups and others to get involved to support your fundraising.

Remember, HHUGS are here to help so you can kick start your fundraising!

Of course you can. If people have given you your sponsor money in cash, or made a bank transfer to you, and you want us to add this to your page, simply pay it in yourself. Alternatively, you can simply click “Add cash donation” and we’ll be in touch to verify your offline donation before it is added to your page. You can send a cheque (with the reference Winter Walk + Your name) with your completed sponsorship form to:

HHUGS
4^th floor
43 Berkeley Square,
London,
W1J 5FJ

The money you raise can provide warm homes and heal hearts this Winter. Every step you take can ease the burdens of single mothers, children growing up without their fathers, and elderly parents struggling without their sons, many of whom are forced to choose between heating and eating.

Your Steps Can Change Lives

Every 7 minutes one person will die this Winter.  Many HHUGS families affected by detention and counter-terror measures, are amongst the 2.4 million in the UK experiencing ‘fuel poverty’.

With living costs and unemployment rising, families face the hard choice to make the decision whether to ‘heat or eat’. Burdened by debts and threatened with eviction, single mothers, with their husbands behind bars, struggle to provide adequate clothing and blankets for their children to protect them from its chill.

Winter hits the most vulnerable hardest. The UK has the second worst rate of excess winter deaths in Europe, with over 175,000 recorded in the past five years, with many succumbing to preventable illnesses.  But Winter doesn’t just impair the mobility of the elderly and exacerbate physical illness. With the looming threat of another lockdown, ‘invisible’ conditions like depression, anxiety and loneliness make the long dark nights and grey freezing days even harder to contend with.

That’s why we’re here, to give families a helping hand. Your steps can clothe children growing up without fathers, and warm the hearts and hearths of elderly parents isolated from their communities this winter. You can be that light of mercy, radiating hope for a family to survive a merciless season.

You might have struggled with the lockdown this year but it’s easy to forget that many families in our midst live like this all year round. You can make a difference to families for whom social distancing and isolation is a norm.

Your fundraising can transform lives

Your steps this season can rewrite their Winter’s tale. By raising:

• £40 you can provide warm bedding to protect them from the night’s chill
• £80 you can clothe children to keep them warm this Winter
• £250 you can feed a family for a month so they aren’t forced to choose between heating and eating.
• £300 you can heat a home this winter
• £500 you can shelter a family by paying their rent and saving them from eviction

You can change lives for some of the most ostracised families in our midst.

Make every £1 worth 25p more at no extra cost to you. It’s just a little box to tick but Gift Aid makes a huge difference when it comes to how much money we can raise to support families in the need right here in the UK.

To be eligible to add Gift Aid to your donation, you must be a UK taxpayer and understand that if you pay less income tax and/or capital gains tax then the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all donations made in that tax year it’s your responsibility to pay any difference. The government will give a further 25% of your donation to the charity, and it doesn’t cost you or your sponsors a thing.

This option will be there on your fundraising page, but if you could mention it to your sponsors, you could help raise much more money to support families torn apart by national security measures. Find out more about Gift Aid here.

We’re confident that after Allah’s help, with a bit of effort and with our support you can easily meet your target. And if you don’t manage to, for whatever reason, you’ll be rewarded for your efforts and intentions in the best season for the believer.

Aside from changing the lives of families in need this Winter, there are many benefits to walking:

Physical health – As well as reducing the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, regular physical activity keeps your body healthy and strong. It can help your blood pressure, help you to sleep better and keep your heart healthy. Walking can help you to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. By getting into regular walking habit, you will feel more energetic and awake over time.

Mental health – Walking can reduce anxiety, improve self-esteem, reduce stress and build a greater sense of calm. Look after your mind as well as your body.

Pushing out of your comfort zone and achieving – Whether you walk along the coast, trek a mountain or take multiple flights of stairs, feel the rush as you tick off the miles towards completing your Walking in Their Shoes challenge.

Click here if you’ve forgotten your password on our sign up page. Follow the instructions on the email you receive to reset your password.

Still having trouble? Please contact us at [email protected] for help logging into your account.

Get in touch by emailing [email protected] or calling us on 0207 733 2104 if you can no longer take part. We regret that we will not be able to refund anyone who has already donated to support you.