North Downs 50 Challenge 

Event type: Walk, Jog, Run 
Date: 22nd July 2023
Location: Surrey
Registration fee*: £15-£129
Fundraising target*: £135-£395
*Depending on signup option + distance 

Join the team

Choose a charity sponsorship place and get 50% off your registration fee – just select Dementia UK as your charity on signup!

Back by popular demand, we’re heading back to the North Downs with a fabulous challenge setting out from the Guildford basecamp along a looped 50km route, which takes in some of the best of the Surrey Hills, the North Downs Way, and the surrounding countryside. This is a route with real variety and wonderful scenery and views – easily accessible from London. There’s a North Downs 50 Challenge for everyone! 

Dementia UK is an official Partner on this great challenge and can offer you a 50% discount on your charity registration fee when signing up. Head to Ultra Challenge website to find out full details of prices and to sign up – remember to select ‘official partner 50% off’ on Sponsorship for Charity to support Dementia UK.  

Set yourself up for an active summer with #TeamDementiaUK!   

Join the team
Challenge options
  • 50km – full challenge 
  • 25km – half challenge 
When joining the team you’ll receive
  • support from our fundraising team to get you over the finish line 
  • training plans 
  • a fundraising guide, as well as fundraising advice, hints and tips in the build up to the event 
  • a branded Dementia UK sports top for the day! 
  • a range of Dementia UK fundraising materials (collection buckets, posters, balloons etc.) to make any events you hold look amazing 
Top tips for fundraising success

Every penny you raise from your event will help our dementia specialist Admiral Nurses provide a lifeline to more families facing dementia – and we’re here to support you every step of the way. 

Fundraising ideas 

Organising another fundraising activity alongside your main challenge will help you smash your goal. Here are some ideas: 

  • host a quiz 
  • arrange a raffle 
  • hold a sweepstake on how long your challenge will take, or the distance you’ll achieve 
  • organise a bake sale at home, at work or in your community 
  • create a sponsored playlist, where supporters donate to add their choice of song 

Your fundraising welcome pack 

Once you’ve signed up for your challenge, we’ll send you a fundraising welcome pack that’s full of advice on how to meet – and beat – your target.  

JustGiving  

Setting up a JustGiving page is a great way to fundraise online. Share your link with family, friends and colleagues, and watch the donations roll in.  

You can use JustGiving to explain why you’re taking on your challenge for Dementia UK, keep track of how much you’ve raised, and even share your training progress using Strava so your supporters can see how well you’re doing. The more you update and share your JustGiving page, the more donations you’ll receive. 

Gift Aid 

If your supporters are UK taxpayers and their donation is voluntary (not proceeds of a sale), we can claim an extra 25p for every £1 donated – at no extra cost to them. Make sure they fill in the Gift Aid form in your fundraising pack or tick the correct boxes if they’re donating online. 

Sending in your donations 

If you’re fundraising through JustGiving, the donations will automatically come to us. If you’ve got cash to pay in, you can do this online, by phone, by bank transfer or by post. 

Click here to find out how to pay in your donations. 

Sponsorship for charity

You pay a small registration fee, do lots of fundraising and we cover the cost of your event place! As we are an official Charity Partner, you get 50% off the standard reg fee when you select Dementia UK on Sponsorship for Charity – simply select Dementia UK on the dropdown. 

  • 25km – £15 reg fee paid online and at least £250 charity sponsorship 
  • 50km – £30 reg fee paid online and at least £395 charity sponsorship 

Mixed training

Pay half of the event place cost yourself, fundraise a bit less and we pay the balance of the event place cost.  

  • 25km – £45 reg fee paid online and at least £135 charity sponsorship 
  • 50km – £72.50 reg fee paid online and at least £220 charity sponsorship 

Self-funding

You pay the full cost of the event place – fundraise whatever you want, with no set target or deadline, and there’s no cost at all to the charity!  

  • 25km – £79 reg fee paid online 
  • 50km – £129 reg fee paid online 
Not what you’re looking for? 

The Ultra Challenge Series has alternative events throughout the year at multiple locations. Click on the links below to find an event to suit you: 

Arti, who completed the Thames Path Ultra Challenge 2022

Arti, who completed the Thames Path Ultra Challenge 2022:

The walk was both emotionally and If I could do something to raise awareness and help other families then I was proud to of completed this challenge in 12 hours. It was a tough walk, but the pain was worth everything and I would do it again just to support more wonderful charities.