Knitting Challenge FAQs

Knit and fundraise however you want in December:

• Knit every day in December for a dedicated amount of time, for instance 30 minutes
• Set yourself a goal to create a certain number of pieces over December
• Focus on one or two bigger projects, like a cosy jumper or patchwork blanket

 
Once you've decided your challenge, let your friends and family know and ask for donations to your Online Giving Page, then keep them updated with your progress throughout the month. Why not sell your creations with all proceeds going towards your fundraising?

We're asking supporters to knit and fundraise throughout the month of December. This can take any form you like; you could collect sponsorship for knitting every day or take on the challenge of knitting a specific item by the end of the month. Alternatively, you could sell the outputs of your knitting and donate the money to our life-saving research.

1 - 31 December 2024.

Whilst we encourage everyone to complete this challenge throughout the month of December, this is a personal challenge, and you can start/finish your challenge at a time that is convenient for you. 

Once you have signed up, join the Facebook Group dedicated to this challenge here: Knitting Challenge in December | Facebook

Click 'Join Group'. Once you're in, you can get tips for Knitting throughout December, be inspired by other fundraisers, share patterns and experiences and find out anything you want to know about the challenge.  

Unfortunately, medals come at a huge cost to the charity so we will not be sending these out. However, we will send all supporters a certificate in their completion email at the end of the challenge and they can access downloadable digital badges to shout about their achievement on social. 

There's 3 key pieces of equipment you might want to consider, these include: wool (start with medium weight), knitting needles (5-6mm is great for beginners) and scissors.

Complete the below form to receive your free tote bag in the post. Once completed, please allow 15 working days for your tote bag to arrive: https://activities.cancerresearchuk.org/knit-and-fundraise-dec-2024

If you have not received your tote bag within this time, please contact: supporter.services@cancer.org.uk. 

Sending out your tote bag comes at a cost to Cancer Research UK so please only order one tote bag to ensure as much fundraising goes towards our life-saving research. We ask if you do request a tote bag that you set up an Online Fundraiser and start to fundraise.

There is not a minimum amount of fundraising that we set for participant, but we recommend that participants set a reasonable target of raising about £150.  

Sure, if you don't have Facebook, you can also set up an Online Giving Page using the link below and collect sponsorship for your miles that way: https://activities.cancerresearchuk.org/knit-and-fundraise-dec-2024 

You can continue the challenge into January! It doesn't matter how you want to complete the challenge or how long it takes you, you can adapt the challenge however you'd like to. The important thing is that by fundraising through this challenge, you will help Cancer Research UK to continue to fund life-saving research and we can't thank you enough.

We trust you! You don’t need to provide evidence that you're taking on the challenge to us. Sharing your Online Giving Page with your friends and family, however, is important! Make sure you keep them posted on your progress and share videos and photos throughout December– the more updates the better. Supporters who regularly post their progress raise on average 40% more. Don't forget to also share your progress in the Facebook group to inspire and motivate your fellow knitters!

Setting up an Online Giving Page is the easiest way to raise money. You can set one up here: https://activities.cancerresearchuk.org/knit-and-fundraise-dec-2024.  

You can then share the page with your friends to gather sponsorship for your challenge.  

We have plenty of fundraising tools and ideas to help you raise life-saving donations. Please see our fundraising hub with everything you need from the challenge here.

There is no entry fee for this challenge. Participants are required to collect sponsorship to Cancer Research UK through their Online Fundraiser. This will automatically be sent to us once paid onto your fundraising page.

Yes, under 18s can take part in this challenge, but we do not market to them and any third-party platform forum (e.g. a Facebook forum) is only available to over 18s. If under 18s are taking part, their parent/guardian must consent to the child’s participation, supervise the challenge and accept responsibility for complying with the challenge rules. Currently we are unable to accept registration for a child, so the child’s parent/guardian must register on the child’s behalf. Similarly, if a child wants to raise money online and/or join a forum, the child’s parent/guardian must register for an online fundraising page and/or join the forum on the child’s behalf. 

You can use our Sponsorship Form to raise money rather than using an online method. Simply download and print off to keep track of all your sponsorship collected or pledged. Once you have completed your fundraising, please send the form with a cheque to:  

Knit and Fundraise Challenge 2024, Cancer Research UK, PO BOX 1561, Oxford, OX4 9GZ 

Please note we are currently experiencing a delay in receiving and processing donations so do bear with us if it takes a little longer than usual to receive an acknowledgment.   

This challenge is specifically a fundraising challenge developed by Cancer Research UK, and therefore all fundraising must go directly to the charity.   

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. If the donation is eligible for Gift Aid, sponsors need to fill out the sponsor form, following the guidelines at the top of the page. 

If you’ve decided to fundraise through your Cancer Research UK Giving Page, you won’t need to do a thing – your supporters’ donations will pay in automatically. If you’ve raised offline, simply post your sponsorship form along with your sponsorship in the form of a cheque to Knit and Fundraise Challenge 2024, Cancer Research UK, PO BOX 1561, Oxford, OX4 9GZ.

You can find a simple guide on how to knit for beginners in your fundraising pack

Please find a few links below to help you get started on your knitting journey. Also find a link to patterns to help getting started with your first knitting project.

• https://nimble-needles.com/tutorials/how-to-knit-for-beginners/ 
• https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIeId-W61aRRe47UKd8i3yIcxntTSR4vF 
• https://nimble-needles.com/free-knitting-patterns/  
• https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/easy-knitting-patterns-for-new-knitters-2116495 

As much as we’d love to be able to take your amazing knitting creations, we unfortunately can't accept your knitted or crochet items. Instead we're setting supporters the challenge to sell items to raise vital funds or give away to friends and family this Christmas.

There are loads of ways you can take on the challenge. You could knit for a set amount of time each day or knit a certain number of pieces by the end of the month. You could also challenge yourself to follow a certain pattern or knit someone something in time for Christmas.

Adapt the challenge to your knitting ability and routine, it’s really up to you!

Yes! Knit and Natter with Your Team with These Easy Steps:

1. Gather Your Knit Crew!

       Invite your fellow wool enthusiasts to join the Knitting Challenge and claim their very own Online Giving Page.

       Once everyone’s registered, log on to your account—you're all set to knit up a storm!

2. Get Ready to Stitch Up Some Fun!

       Scroll down, click ‘Create New Team,’ and follow the steps to build your dream knitting squad!

3. Form Your Crafty Dream Team!

       After creating your team, share the team page URL with friends and family so they can join the fun. Let’s stitch together for a great cause!

Find out more here

We will be sending a digital calendar within the fundraising pack where you can track all your knitting.

Don’t fret If you have a day off. You could always make up the time (if that’s how you are tracking your challenge) through knitting for a bit longer every day. Or if it is a project you are doing, doing a little bit extra on the days you are free, so you still complete it on time.

Facebook Fundraisers are automatically set up to only stay open for ten days. To make the most of your fundraising efforts, you need to change the end date to keep your fundraiser open throughout and after the challenge. To change the end date simply, click ‘More’ under the invite button, then click ‘Edit Fundraiser’. We recommend setting this date to at least a month after your challenge has ended so you can continue to collect vital donations for your efforts!  

Unfortunately, once your Facebook Fundraiser has finished you cannot reopen the same fundraising page. However, you can create a new one and set the end date for past your challenge, so that you can continue receiving donations once you’ve finished your challenge: http://www.facebook.com/fund/cancerresearchuk/    

To see your past fundraisers, go to the Facebook home page on a desktop and look underneath your name on the left-hand side - click fundraisers > your activity > scroll down the page until you reach "your past fundraisers"  

Donating on Facebook is safe and secure and there is no fee taken from Facebook to set up a Facebook Fundraiser. If you have any suspicious charges, we recommend speaking directly to your bank. If you have any questions about your Facebook Fundraiser, please contact Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/help  

You can add offline donations onto your own page and send this donation through to us as a cheque, along with the sponsorship form which you can download here.