Frequently Asked Questions

A Starting Block is the person, place or moment that inspired you to become who you are today.

Anyone can take part in this challenge! You do not need to be sporty. We’ve suggested running, walking, swimming, cycling and pushing; however if these don’t sound like your kind of challenge, then you can set your own.

There is not a specific date when the challenge takes place. This is your challenge. Set yourself a target as to when you’d like to complete your challenge and work towards that date. If you’ve signed up but wish to take part later in the year, just let us know so that we can carry on supporting you.

Signing up to the Starting Blocks challenge is free! We do however, encourage you to fundraise to allow us to continue supporting young people who are facing challenges in their everyday lives.

There is no age limit for the Starting Blocks Challenge and we welcome people of all ages. However, you do need to be over 18 years of age to register. If you’re under 18, please ask a parent or guardian to sign up on your behalf.

JustGiving is an online fundraising platform which you can use to collect your donations. To access your page, go to the JustGiving website and enter the login details you supplied when registering for the Starting Blocks Challenge. Your confirmation email will have a link to your page which you can share with friends and family to encourage them to donate to your challenge.

If you need help using your fundraising page or making a donation, JustGiving have a dedicated support team who can help you. You can message JustGiving through their contact form or alternatively, check out their FAQs page.

Please email us at fundraising@damekellyholmestrust.org to tell us about any problems you are having.

We are here to support you on your Starting Blocks journey. We will be in touch with emails to give you inspiration, tips, and resources which you can use to share your story.

We will be sharing people’s Starting Blocks stories across our social media channels. Follow the hashtag #gobacktogiveback to see what fellow participants are up to.

There is no minimum fundraising amount however, if you raise £250 or more, we will send you an official Starting Blocks medal. For participants under 18, raise £50 to receive your official medal.

We love Gift Aid as it means we can claim an extra 25p on every £1 donation, at no extra cost to you or your supporters. For UK taxpayers JustGiving allows your supporters to automatically Gift Aid their donation. However, not all donations are eligible for Gift Aid. We can only claim Gift Aid on personal donations. So if your supporters receive any goods or a service in return for a donation, we unfortunately can’t claim. For example, any donations from raffles, lotteries, sweepstakes, ticket sales, auctions or bake sales would not be eligible for Gift Aid.

Any money you raise will help us give young people an opportunity to be the best version of themselves. You'll be supporting our athlete mentors to deliver transformational programmes for young people in education, community and health settings, improving their wellbeing and confidence, and unlocking their potential.

Absolutely! You can choose the option to create a Team Page for your family, group of friends, colleagues etc so that you can all work towards a joint goal. You will automatically be made a Team Leader, which means you can invite people to join.

Once you have signed up to the Starting Blocks Challenge you will receive a digital fundraising pack with support and exciting ways to share your challenge. Use the hashtag #gobacktogiveback and tag in @damekellyholmestrust (@damekellystrust on Twitter). We’d love to hear more about your challenge, please get in touch at fundraising@damekellyholmestrust.org