Miles for Refugees is a charity fitness challenge raising money for the British Red Cross’ work supporting refugees in the UK and around the world.

When you sign up you can choose from 1 of 6 available distances, eacyh based on a common route refugees will take to reach safety. You then choose the date you want your challenge to start, and attempt to complete your chosen distance over 30 days however and wherever you wish. Running, walking, using a wheelchair, cycling or using a handbike or any other activity you choose can all count towards your target distance.

Along the way, we ask that you share your personal fundraising page, created as part of your sign up, and try to raise £150 to help fund our support work with refugees.

Miles for Refugees is now open year round, simply choose your preferred start date when you sign up and attempt to complete your chosen distance and raise the £150 fundraising target over a 30 day period.

Miles for Refugees is a virtual event which means you can take part wherever you are at a time that suits you, whether it’s a weekend cycle or walking home from work. Just make sure you record the distance you've completed and add it to your personal fundraising page so you can track your progress.

Children under 18 are able to take part, but we ask that a parent or guardian register for them as there are terms and conditions to approve.

If a child taking part is under 16 and fundraising offline, we ask that a parent or guardian be in charge of any money raised. This is in keeping with recommendations by the UK Fundraising Regulator.

We're happy to send pin badges and certificates out to thank our younger supporters for all their amazing work, please email us to request these.

Miles for Refugees is completely free to enter, we just ask that you do what you can to raise the £150 fundraising target.

We believe this target to be achievable, however there's no additional cost if you don't raise this much. We understand that everyone's circumstances are different, and ultimately any amount you raise will make a valuable difference to our work.

It's not possible for you to change your chosen distance after you've joined Miles for Refugees. If you've completed your distance and would like to go further, we'd suggest you update the title or story of your page to let people know your new target.

Of course! You're welcome to take part, and adapt the challenge however you like to suit your needs. 

You can take part in a wheelchair or using other adapted equipment such as a handcycle, all of which can be recorded and uploaded to your page either manually or through linking your Strava app. If you use equipment or take part in a way that's not included, either using Strava or through the manual options on your page, then you can choose the activity that's closest and write details of what you did so people who visit your page can see.

We're working to make Miles for Refugees as accessible as possible, so if you are taking part in a way not currently supported by our activity update features please let us know and we'll attempt to integrate this feedback into future events.

It’s not possible currently to add your own custom distance or route, as the routes chosen have been designed to highlight key refugee routes and enable us to tell the individual stories of people from those areas.

There are six distances to choose from, varying from 22 miles to 555 miles, so whether you’re a seasoned runner or just looking for a reason to get back on your bike, there’s something for everyone!

Yes!

We're happy to have people all around the world take part in Miles for Refugees, reflecting the international nature of the Red Cross movement.

Please be aware that the sending of t-shirts, Miles for Refugees medals and other items will be delayed if you are based outside of the UK.

Yes you can! When registrations open you'll need to sign up online as an individual, and once this is complete you'll have the option to create a new team or search for and join an existing one. A video guide on how to do this is available on our Community Resources page.

You can purchase a branded Miles for Refugees technical athletics top or casual cotton t-shirt from our online shop.

We ask everyone taking part to aim to raise at least £150. 

If you don't manage to raise this amount, however much you do raise will still make a difference to our work. £5 is enough to buy a blanket for a refugee, £2 provides safe water to drink. We understand everyone's circumstances are different, and simply ask that fundraisers do the best they can.

The best way to raise money is to keep sharing your fundraising page. Sometimes a personal touch such as an email or text message asking for support can help as well, and you can download fundraising resources from the Miles for Refugees website to help as well.

When you sign up you have 30 days from your chosen start date to complete your distance, and we ask that you try to get all fundraising income to us as soon as possible after this. However there is no set deadline for when funds can be sent, if you're fundraising online JustGiving will continue to send us the money you raised safely and securely.

If you're doing any fundraising offline, you can download an offline sponsorship form here. Information on how to send offline money to us can be found here. For security reasons, please do not send cash by post.

All money donated to your Miles for Refugees fundraising page is sent to us automatically, safely and securely. We also get the Gift Aid from donations, which adds an extra 25p to every pound your supporters donate at no extra cost to them!

You can find details of how to pay in offline sponsorship here.

Videos on how to connect your Strava account or add distances to your page can be found on our community resources page.

Once you've signed up, go to Miles.RedCross.org.uk and login, then click the 'Edit Page' button at the top right of your screen. You will see an option that says 'add fitness' and here you can link your Strava account with JustGiving.

While you're logged in you can also find a Connect Strava button visible on your fundraising page, beneath the reward badges.

If you are having trouble adding your miles please email help@justgiving.com.

Of course!

You can add miles manually to your page without having to use Strava.

Once you've signed up, go to Miles.RedCross.org.uk and login, then click the 'edit page' button at the top right of your screen. You will see an option that says 'add fitness' and here you can manually add activities you've completed to your page.

Instructions on how to create or join a team are available on our Community Resources page.

Team pages allow people to take part together, with the amount each person has raised and the miles they've completed all brought together for a team total.

We ask that every person taking part in Miles for Refugees, individually or as part of a team, do their best to raise the £150 sponsorship target, and this is required in order for them to receive a Miles for Refugees medal.

Only the person who created a team can edit the team page. Simply login at Miles.RedCross.org.uk, go to your fundraising page and select Edit Page. You can then change your team name, fundraising target or story as well as add photos by selecting the Team menu.

The easiest way is to share your team page, where people will see a button inviting them to sign up and join.

When people choose Join a Team, either from a team page or their Edit Page menu they’ll also have the option to search for your team by name and join that way. Try to make sure your team name is something unique, to make it easier to find.

Simply go to Miles.RedCross.org.uk and login. Then click the Edit Page button in the top menu. The box that opens includes a Team tab you can use to create your own team, or search for an existing one to join.

Simply visit your personal Miles for Refugees fundraising page, and look for the red Team Details box. From there you’ll see a dark red button saying View Team that’ll take you straight to your team page.

Login at Miles.RedCross.org.uk and open the Edit Page menu. The Leave Team option is available under the Team menu.

Absolutely!

If you’re looking to organise a charity fundraising event as part of your corporate philanthropy work then Miles for Refugees is a great way to do this!

The event is flexible, so people of all fitness levels can take part and collect their miles anyway they like - from walking, to wheelchairs to swimming or even rollerskating. Virtual events are also a great way to build relationships between teams, particularly those with some colleagues working from home. The event also encourages people to take part and get active throughout an entire month, which encourages the building of healthy habits.

Please contact us for more information about fundraising as a company through Miles for Refugees.

If you want to match donations your staff have received for their Miles for Refugees fundraising, please contact the Miles for Refugees team at milesforrefugees@redcross.org.uk and we’ll provide you with any information you need.

We’re always happy to speak to companies about how they can support Miles for Refugees or any other part of our work.

Please contact the team at MilesForRefugees@redcross.org.uk and we’ll be in touch to discuss how Miles for Refugees can fit into your company's corporate social responsibility work.