Below you will find all the essential information needed for a summer of stepping, along with answers to our most frequently asked questions. Any further questions? Simply drop us an email and we’ll be happy to answer: onemillionsteps@diabetes.org.uk.
Key Event Information
Signing Up - register for Million Steps now and receive your free welcome pack.
It's free - that's right, it's free to take part. And you can receive amazing rewards for your fundraising for free too.
The challenge - you have three life changing distances to choose from.
500,000 steps - a perfect start to your stepping journey, you'll take about 5,400 steps a day.
1,000,000 steps - the original challenge, you'll take about 10,800 steps a day.
1,700,000 - from Lands End to John O'Groats, you'll take about 18,400 steps a day.
When - three months, that's 92 days, from 1 July to 30 September 2021.
Where - you can take on your Million Steps wherever you like, from your local park to your living room.
Fundraising - there's no minimum sponsorship but we recommend trying to raise £150. That's £50 a month.
Your profile page - your Million Steps profile page is built for tracking steps and fundraising. It's where you'll unlock your challenge badges.
Tracking your steps - use a type of pedometer that suits you. It could be your phone, a Fitbit or your pedometer of choice.
Logging steps - log your steps from 1 July using your Fitbit, connect to Strava or add your steps manually on your profile page.
Under 18s - if you're under 18, please ask a parent or guardian to register on your behalf, they will need to create a new JustGiving account using a unique email address.
Supported by Fitbit - Diabetes UK and Fitbit share a simple ambition, to help everyone live healthier lives. By working together we'll help people lower their risk of health issues or even serious illness. This partnership is about helping to make everyone healthier, not just fitter.
We're fighting for a world where diabetes can do no harm and every step we take towards that is crucial. With your support we can continue our vital work across the UK supporting people living with and at risk of diabetes. Here are some of the ways your support can make a difference.
Every step and every donation counts.
We have tried to answer all of your commonly asked questions below. However, if you can’t find the information you’re looking for please email onemillionsteps@diabetes.org.uk or call 0345 123 2399 and we will be more than happy to help.
You can start fundraising on your profile page right now, and that's also where you'll track your steps from 1 July. But there's lots more you can do.
When you're logged in to your profile page, click the edit page button near the top of your page and you can:
Make your page your own. If you can't do any of the above or want some advice, email onemillionsteps@diabetes.org.uk.
Your safety and wellbeing is important to us, and all Diabetes UK events are held in line with the most up-to-date national and local coronavirus guidance and restrictions.
Please make sure you’re aware of and following the latest guidance and restrictions when taking part in any of our events. Find out more.
Fundraising rewards are our way of saying thank you for the incredible fundraising you do. It's a small token of appreciation for helping us create a world where diabetes can do no harm.
Your rewards are currently in production, but we'll start sending your shoelace charms, keyrings and t-shirts in April. We will send the medal (£35 raised) and trophy (£650 raised) in November, after we've collected all of your fundraising from the One Million Step Challenge.
We know some of you have already earned many of these rewards and we're so grateful for your support. We will send your rewards to you as soon as we can.
Fundraising online
How do I fundraise online?
Your One Million Step Challenge profile page is the simplest and most secure way to receive donations from friends and family.
It's automatically created for you when you sign up for Million Steps. Plus your supporters can Gift Aid their donation with a few taps if they're UK taxpayers. But you can fundraise offline too, there's more info on that below.
How do I send in money donated on my tracker page?
You don’t need to. The money donated onto your profile page comes directly to us.
Do I need a JustGiving page?
No, but you'll need to create a JustGiving account. You'll be asked to do this when you register for Million Steps. It only takes a few moments to do.
How do I send in money raised offline?
The easiest way is to pay your fundraising into your own bank account and donate it to your One Million Step Challenge profile page by card payment. That way we have all your fundraising in one place.
Or you can pay by phone by calling 0345 123 2399. Make sure to let our team know you're paying in fundraising for the One Million Step Challenge.
If you have a cheque you can make it payable to Diabetes UK and send to:
One Million Step Challenge
Diabetes UK
Wells Lawrence House,
126 Back Church Lane,
London
E1 1FH
Include your sponsorship form or a note with your name and the event you have taken part in.
The deadline to send donations in is 31 October.
From 1 July you can start tracking your steps on your profile page.
There are two ways to add your steps to your Million Steps profile page;
You can manually add your steps whenever you like, whether that's twice a day, once a week or a few times a month.
By adding your steps to your page you’ll unlock special pages, increase your step total and show all your fans how hard you’re working to step for a healthier you and support Diabetes UK.
My steps aren’t the same on my fitness app as they are on my page
If you've adjusted the stride length on your fitness app it may appear differently on your profile page. This is because we have to use an average stride length for everyone. If your steps are appearing as less, top them up using the manual step function so you don't miss a step.
Can I edit or delete a stepping activity?
You cannot edit or delete a distance activity that is pulled through to your page from your Fitbit, however you can delete a distance activity added manually and repost the activity with the correct information.
You don’t need to use Fitbit or Strava to take part, you can add your steps onto your profile page manually. You just need a way to count your steps and most smartphones, or a pedometer, will take care of that.
Can I use a different type of smart watch or app?
You can connect your Fitbit and Strava account to your profile page, so your walking activities will be linked directly to your page. If you use and connect it to your profile page, your walking fitness activity will update on your page after logging in.
You can connect other smart watches to your Strava account, but unfortunately you can't connect other apps to your Million Steps profile page.
1. Login to your Million Steps profile page
2. Click Edit Page
3. Click on My Fitness Apps
4. Select Connect Fitbit - a new browser window will open and ask you to log in to your Fitbit account.
Log in
Please log in using your Fitbit email and password.
Share Fitbit data
You'll be asked to share your Fitbit data with the One Million Step Challenge platform. Tap to agree.
Start a walking activity
You must start and finish a walking activity on your Fitbit device for your steps to pull through to your Million Steps profile page.
Bluetooth on
Please make sure that your Bluetooth is switched on to sync your fitness activity with your Fitbit account.
Log in to your profile page
For your fitness activity to show on your page, log in to your One Million Step Challenge page. After a few minutes, your activity and steps will show in your step history.
Register for Million Steps and you're half way there. On your profile page when you're logged in, you'll see a grey box near the top of your page. It will say 'Create Team' - tap this button. It will take you to the 'Edit Page' section of your profile page. From here, you can create a team by typing in your new team name, or find a team by searching for the team you'd like to join.
Your team members will have to register individually and then connect to your team, you just need to share your team name with them.
Do we have a team target?
You take on your own target for the challenge, whether that's 500,000, 1,000,000 or 1,700,000. Your team page will show your overall team step count.
You can change your team fundraising target at any time and your collective fundraising total will show in your totaliser.
Here are a few things to try if your page isn't showing you're connected to a team:
No problem at all, email us at onemillionsteps@diabetes.org.uk with the link to your profile page and we'll sort it for you.
If you need any further support then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the team by emailing onemillionsteps@diabetes.org.uk or by calling 0345 123 2399.
Join us this summer and step towards a healthier, more confident you.
One million steps. Three months. One life-changing challenge.
