FAQs

What is Stand Up To Cancer?

Brought to you by Cancer Research UK and Channel 4, Stand Up To Cancer is a fundraising campaign that brings the UK together to speed up progress in life-saving cancer research.

Where does the money we raise for Stand Up To Cancer go?

Your donations from the Sweat Every Day in November Challenge will help to make life-saving research happen. From pioneering technology using laser and robots to improve cancer surgery to developing lollipops that could detect mouth cancer. Stand Up To Cancer have supported 73 clinical trials and research projects that will help us bring new treatments and technology to people with cancer – ultimately saving more lives.

What does the Sweat Every Day in November for Stand Up To Cancer Challenge involve?

Supporters raise money by challenging themselves to do workout and break a sweat every day for 30 minutes across the month of November.

I’ve signed up. Now what?

Once you’ve signed up, and completed our form you will receive a free SU2C tech top and a resistance band to help you complete your challenge. You can also join our Facebook Group dedicated to this challenge. Once you are in you can get tips for completing your 30-minute workout, be inspired by other fundraisers and find out anything you want to know about the challenge.

I don’t have Facebook. Can I still join the challenge?

Yes! If you don’t have Facebook, you can set up a Cancer Research UK online Giving Page and collect sponsorship for your Sweat Every Day in November Challenge.

Is there an entry fee?

There’s no entry fee for this challenge, but we do ask that you fundraise for Cancer Research UK through your online Giving Page. All donations to the page will automatically be sent to us.

Do I have to complete this challenge in November? Can I start my challenge later or earlier?

While we encourage everyone to complete this challenge in November, this is a personal challenge and you can start and finish at a time that’s convenient for you. If you can’t complete your 30 minute workout on any given day, then you can make up for it at any point of the month and continue the challenge into December.

What if I miss a day?

Don’t worry! You can extend your challenge into the following month if needed. Complete the challenge in a way that suits you.

What if I don't complete the challenge?

The only thing that matters is that you try to complete as much of the challenge as you can. Whether you complete a daily workout for the whole of November or not, the money you raise will help us to keep funding life-saving research. Whatever you manage to achieve, we can’t thank you enough.

Do I need to provide evidence that I’ve completed my workouts?

We trust you! You don’t need to provide evidence that you’ve completed the challenge to us, but your friends and family will want some updates. Make sure you keep them posted on your progress and share videos, photos and your online Giving Page throughout November – the more updates the better. Supporters who regularly post about their progress raise 40% more on average.

How do I get my free tech top and resistance band?

Complete this form to receive your free tech top and resistance band in the post. Once completed, please allow 15 working days for your tech top and resistance band to arrive. Please note, we have a limited number of resistance bands and tech tops so they will only be available whilst stocks last.

If you haven’t received your tech top and resistance band after this time, please contact supporter.services@cancer.org.uk.

What if I don’t want a tech top and resistance band?

When filling out the sign-up form, simply select ‘no’ where it asks if you’d like to receive a tech top and resistance band. You’ll still receive an online Giving Page, be able to join the challenge group and take part!

If you have any further questions, please email supporter.services@cancer.org.uk or call 0300 1231022 (lines open 8am–8pm, Monday to Friday and 9am–5pm at weekends) .

My tech top doesn’t fit. What should I do?

Unfortunately, returning tech tops comes at a cost to us, so we ask that you keep hold of it for personal use (you could wear it in bed, at the gym or give it to a friend).

Can I order a tech top and resistance band for my family or friends?

Sending out your tech top and resistance band comes at a cost to us, so please only order one tech top and resistance band per fundraiser to make sure as much money as possible goes towards our life-saving work. We ask that everyone requesting a tech top and resistance band donates something to their fundraising page.

Will I get a medal?

You’ll be sent a certificate in your completion email at the end of your challenge. You can also access downloadable digital badges to shout about your achievement on social media. Unfortunately, medals would cost us a significant amount, so we won’t be sending these out so we can spend more on our life-saving work.

Can people under 18 take part? If they can, how should they register and does it have to be with their guardian’s consent?

Yes, under-18s can take part in this challenge, but we don’t market to them and any third-party platform forums (such as Facebook forums) are only available to people over 18. If under-18s are taking part, their parent or guardian must consent to the child’s participation, supervise the challenge, and accept responsibility for complying with the challenge rules. The child’s parent or guardian must register on the child’s behalf and if a child wants to raise money online and/or join a forum, the child’s parent or guardian must register for an online fundraising page and/or join the forum on the child’s behalf.

Can we sign up as a team?

Participants must register as individuals, but you can then set up a team Giving Page to take on the challenge and raise money together.

Here’s how:

1. All your team will need to sign up to the Sweat Every Day in November for Stand Up To Cancer Challenge so you each have your own online Giving Page.

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!

Once you’ve created your team, you can either split up workouts between the group or you can all complete your 30 min workouts across the month. You can also invite other registrants to join via our online fundraising site.

How do I raise money?

Using our Online Fundraising Platform is the easiest way to raise money. You’ll receive an online Giving Page once you’ve registered here. You can then share the page with your friends and family to gather sponsorship for your challenge.

Is there a minimum sponsorship amount?

We don’t set a fundraising target for participants, but we recommend that supporters set themselves a reasonable target of raising £150 or more.

What could my money fund/how can I encourage my family and friends to donate?

£5 can fund a lab technician for over 30 minutes, ensuring researchers are equipped with everything they need to beat cancer.

£10 can buy 250 plastic test tubes to help carry out cancer-fighting experiments.

£15 can buy agarose gel, which is a vital component for a technique that scientists use to measure the length of pieces of DNA.

£20 could buy antibiotics to keep the cells studied by our scientists free from infections.

I’ve hit my fundraising target; can I raise my fundraising target if I’ve met it?

Yes absolutely! You can raise your fundraising target on your online Giving Page at any time. Supporters who increase their fundraising target raise an average of 51% more than those who don’t, so why not head over to your page and raise yours!

Are there any fundraising materials available?

We have plenty of fundraising materials and ideas to help you raise life-saving donations. Visit our fundraising hub for everything you need for your challenge.

Can I split my sponsorship money between Cancer Research UK and another charity?

This challenge is a fundraising initiative specifically developed by us, therefore all fundraising must go solely to Cancer Research UK.

What is Gift Aid?

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.