FAQs

Wellness Walks are a series of fundraising walking events that are bespoke to Diabetes UK. They are about making a difference for your own health, and for everyone living with diabetes.

Our walks are an unforgettable way to see iconic sights in exciting cities, whilst spending quality time with friends and family. At the end of your Wellness Walk, spend some time in our Finisher’s Area – pose for a photo on our finisher’s podium, get a relaxing massage, write on our gratitude board or speak to a specialist diabetes dietitian.

And with every step you take and every pound you raise, you’ll be helping to fund our life-changing research that will help us get one step closer to a world where diabetes can do no harm. Together, we are walking for a healthier future.

Our Wellness Walks are taking place in Liverpool, Glasgow, Cardiff, Birmingham, Newcastle-Gateshead and London in 2024.

All locations can be found here

Our Wellness Walks are measured via electronic mapping and Garmin technology. Depending on your own personal devices, you may measure a route slightly shorter or longer than advertised.

All our Wellness Walks are 8 to10 miles in length apart from London Bridges which also has a 5 mile option to choose from. Please check each individual event location page to see exact distances and route maps.

Registration for most of our Wellness Walks is £10 for adults (18+), £5 for 12 to 17 year olds and free for children 11 and under. London Bridges differs slightly with £15 for adults. 

You can add up to three under 18s to an adult registration before the final payment is taken.

We may* have limited availability for on-the-day registrations. These have a higher registration fee of (all events apart from Bridges) £15 for adults, £10 for 12 to 17 year olds and £5 for 11 and under.  

London Bridges ‘on the day’ registration is £20 per adult, £15 per junior, £10 for children.

*On-the-day registration can’t be guaranteed as various start waves may sell out. Please sign up in advance whenever possible.

SUMMER20 is currently running until 11.59pm Sunday, 8 September.

Yes – we will provide you with an A4 illustrated route map for reference but all our routes are signposted and marshalled.

We will also provide you with a QR code so that you can download a digital version of the map to your phone on event day as well.

You and your fellow walkers will need to arrive about 30 minutes before your start time. Please ensure you leave plenty of time for your journey and arrive on time. If you arrive after your start time, you may not be able to take part in the walk.

Most of our Wellness Walks have start waves including:

9.00am, 9.30am, 10.00am, 10.30am and 11.00am.

The 5 mile walk at London Bridges has one start time only: 11am

Wellness Walks are all about taking your time, enjoying the company of others and taking in the sight of the city you are in.

We ask that all walkers to cross the finish line by 5pm on event day due to logistical reasons. However is gives you plenty of time to enjoy your walk and if you’re worried – please select an earlier start wave to ensure you have enough time.

Although there’s no minimum sponsorship for taking part in our Wellness Walks, we ask that you aim to raise £150 to support the work of Diabetes UK.

Your registration fee only covers part of your place in the event. So every penny you raise on your page is what helps us support more people in more ways.

Fundraising £150 could kick-start investment into high-quality research projects to shape the future of diabetes care.

The more money you raise, the more impact we can have.

Thank you.

We aim for all our Wellness Walks to be accessible for mobility scooters, wheelchair users and pushchairs.

Although the route will have inevitable curbs to navigate, any steps will have a step free alternative. These will be highlighted to our walkers by our marshals and signage.

Yes! Although, it might be a little far for little legs, so please check the route in advance to make sure it is suitable.

Children 11 and under are free to register. Those aged 12 to 17 are £5 each. One adult should not register more than three children under 18 due to supervision ratios.

Please email wellnesswalk@diabetes.org.uk for further advise on children’s fundraising.

If your dog is well-behaved, fit and healthy, feel free to bring them along.

Our walks include busy city streets with traffic and noise so please make sure they are comfortable with this.

Please make sure you keep your dog on a short lead at all times.

Due to environmental reasons, we will not provide bottled water for our walkers, instead, we encourage all walkers to bring their own bottles from home and we can refill them from large water containers.

Soft drinks, coffee and refreshments may be available from our caterers at each event.

You will be sent a secure link to event day photos within a week of taking part. You can also find photos that walkers have added to the Wellness Walk Facebook group.

No, we won’t have a bag drop facility at either the 5 or the 10 mile start line. Please only bring what you can carry with you.

Visit Find a walk.

Select the location of your choice and follow the links for sign up.

Once your registration is complete, we will be in touch to provide you with everything you need to get started on your fundraising!

It is essential that all those who want to take part in a Wellness Walk organised by Diabetes UK, register on our website.

Multiple registrations under one name will not be recognised. Registration closes on the date stated on the event page.

All under 18s must be registered by an adult over 18.

After you register, you’ll get a registration confirmation email straight away. Keep this as it has your start wave information on it as a reminder.

Every two weeks, we send out event packs by second class post. These include your Wellness Walk t-shirt, event number and sponsorship form.

If you’ve not received a pack four weeks after you registered, contact us to get a new one sent out.

We may* have a limited number of on-the-day registrations available that will be sold on a first-come-first-serve basis. We therefore recommend you register online before the event.

On-the-day registration is £15 for adults, £10 for 12 to 17 year olds and £5 for children aged 11 and under.

We are cashless on event day and you will need to pay by card to register.

You certainly can! When you’ve logged into your Enthuse fundraising page click ‘my dashboard’, then click ‘edit’. This is where you will find your current email address.

Remember to click ‘save’ once you have amended it.  

Absolutely! Please send us an email to wellnesswalk@diabetes.org.uk and we will be sure to update this for you. It is important you let us know as soon as possible, so your Wellness Walk pack is sent to the correct location.

If you’d like to withdraw from the event, please get in touch with us on wellnesswalk@diabetes.org.uk. Please note, your registration fee is non-refundable.

If you selected a t-shirt size during registration, you will be sent your own Wellness Walk t-shirt to wear on event day.

As far as possible we will try and send the t-shirt size you requested. If it doesn’t fit then please bring it with you on event day, as we’ll have a small supply of spares to swap it with.

Together with your t-shirt you will be sent an event number (and timing chip attached to the back). Please complete the details on the back and attach it to your clothing for event day using the safety pins provided. (There will be a £1 replacement fee for any event numbers misplaced on event day.)

All walkers must have their event number clearly visible whilst taking part in the walk. This helps us to identify our walkers and maintain health and safety standards.

Our start waves have participant limits for health and safety reasons and your enjoyment will be hampered if the start wave is too crowded and busy.

Please email wellnesswalk@diabetes.org.uk with the start wave you want change from and to.

Please get in touch as soon as possible. We can not guarantee to make all changes requested.

Our start waves have participant limits for health and safety reasons and your enjoyment will be hampered if the start wave is too crowded and busy.

If your preferred start wave has sold out, unfortunately we will not be able to accommodate you at this time. Please select a start wave which has availability.

Please find your Wellness Walk terms and conditions by clicking here.

It is where you can collect donations for your walk, track your training progress and share updates with friends and family in the lead up to and after the event.

You can personalise it by adding your photo, updating your story and adding photos for your supporters to view.

It’s easy to share your profile page with friends and family. Simply visit your page and click ‘share’.

You can find a link to your page from your Registration Confirmation email.

You don’t need to do anything – the money donated onto your fundraising page comes directly to us.

If you’re having problems with your page, don’t worry, just get in touch with us at wellnesswalk@diabetes.org.uk.

Your profile page is a the quickest and easiest way to get donations from friends and family without any money changing hands, but you can fundraise offline too. You can download a sponsorship form on our Resources page.

Yes you can! When you’ve logged into your Wellness Walk page click ‘add offline donation’ in the top right of the screen. 

The easiest way to collect sponsorship is via your Wellness Walk fundraising page. Your personal link can be found in your welcome email.

The money raised on your page will come straight to us, so you don’t have to worry about getting it to us and can concentrate on raising even more money. For any cash donations you collect with the sponsorship form included in your welcome pack, you can get it to us by:

Cheque:

Please make your cheque payable to Diabetes UK. Send it with your sponsor forms, or a covering letter with your name and address on, to: Wellness Walk [add your event location], Diabetes UK, 126 Back Church Lane, London E1 1FH.

Credit/Debit Card:

Our Supporter Care team are waiting to take your donation. You can call them on 0345 123 2399, Monday to Friday, between 9am and 6pm. Make sure you say you’re making a donation towards your Wellness Walk sponsorship.

When you start your registration, you will be given the option to create a team, join a team or register as an individual.

If you create a team, you will be the team leader. You will be asked to provide the email addresses of anyone you would like to join the team when you register.

If a team has already been created that you would like to join, click ‘join team’ and search for the name of the team leader or team name.

Each member of a team will have their own individual page, that will link to a ‘team page’ that shows your collective fundraising total.

Now, more than ever, we need your support. The money you raise will help us fight for a world where diabetes can do no harm.

It helps keep our helpline counsellors answering the phone, getting people through the difficult days and supporting them to overcome the challenges diabetes brings.

It will pay for our local support groups, changing lives one cup of tea at a time.

It keeps our campaigns running, to help us fight for better care and a healthier world.

And you’ll be helping us make every day a little less scary for those living with or at risk of diabetes. Because you will be helping to fund new treatments to prevent complications – like sight loss, amputations and stroke – that so many people with diabetes face. It’s only with your support makes this research possible.

You will be asked at registration if you would like to receive fundraising rewards.

If you opt in to receive these, we will be sending out special blue Diabetes UK shoe laces to anyone raising £50 or more and a special edition enamel pin badge for those who hit £150 or more. These will be sent throughout the challenge, once you have hit each target.

Terms and conditions apply.

Please contact wellnesswalk@diabetes.org.uk to opt out.

Please follow the link to find Wellness Walk Fundraising Reward Terms and Conditions.

Signing up for a Wellness Walk is a brilliant start to giving your health a boost.

By thinking about wellbeing and making a few small changes to how we live our lives, we can begin to feel healthier.

Wellness is part of your everyday life. It’s about your relationship with your body, your mind and your community. Wellness is for everyone, and if affected by diabetes, it can play an important part in helping you manage it.

Read and make the most of your Wellness Journal for tips, advice and activities to reflect on what you’re learning as you go.

Walking can increase your wellness. It has numerous benefits for your physical health but can also improve your mental health. It can help you manage stress and anxiety, reduce the risk of depression, increase self-esteem, improve sleep, and lead to happier moods. This is because walking releases endorphins to the body. These are hormones that act as natural painkillers.

Completing a Wellness Walk also gives the emotional benefits of being outdoors and the social advantages of being able to connect with other people.

There are six Wellness Walk locations to choose from and two different volunteer roles at each location. Check out the volunteer page for more information and how and sign up.