About the event
Do you want to complete a marathon — but just not all on the same day?
Then the GBSS Marathon in a Month challenge is for you! It is motivating, fun, and most importantly, achievable!
Marathon in a Month aims to get people moving while raising vital funds to improve awareness and protect babies from group B Strep meningitis, sepsis, and pneumonia?
You can walk, run, swim or cycle the distance of a marathon across the month and track your progress as you complete the 26.2 miles.Yes Do it at your own speed and in your own time – the main thing is you CAN do it, you CAN complete a marathon!
Three reasons to complete a marathon in April
We could go on all day about why you should join our team, but we’ll keep it short.
- Your fundraiser is created for you in just one click which you can then share.
- Your GBSS T-shirt will be sent out in the post and you’ll receive it within 10 working days of setting up your fundraising page.
- You will join the Marathon in a Month Facebook Community where you can share your miles and talk to your fellow #TeamGBSS teammates.
How do I sign up?
Registration is free and easy. Just follow the steps below.
Join our Facebook group
Join our GBSS Marathon in a Month Challenge Facebook group. You can connect with fellow fundraisers taking on the Marathon in a Month challenge, share your achievements and cheer each other on. Plus you can discover lots of fundraising tips that’ll help you see those donations come flying in.
Register and set up your fundraising page
After you fill in the registration form, you can choose to set up a Facebook fundraising page or a JustGiving page. We recommend setting your fundraising pledge at £150, but the goal is to raise what you can. So you can choose to increase it, decrease it or keep it as it is.
Get your FREE GBSS T-shirt
We will send you a free, GBSS T-Shirt once you set up your fundraising page. Don’t forget to take plenty of photos and share your fundraising page with friends and family to let them know you’re supporting Group B Strep Support.
Our friendly team will also be on hand to support you, share tips and answer your questions.
Why fundraise for Group B Strep Support?
Group B Strep is the most common cause of life-threatening infection in newborn babies in the UK, and the most common cause of meningitis in babies under age 3 months. And the number of these infections is rising. Currently:
- 2 babies a day develop group B Strep infection
- 1 baby a week dies from group B Strep infection
- 1 baby a week recovers from group B Strep infection with disability
Knowing about group B Strep when you’re pregnant and in the early weeks after birth can make a massive difference as most group B Strep infections in newborn babies can be prevented, and early treatment can and does save lives.
The money you raise will make sure that information and support is available for anyone who needs it – on our website, through the helpline we run, and through our online community. Your efforts can make a meaningful difference in the lives of many and help raise awareness about this important issue.
Digital Resources
Tracker – download your tracker to tick of your 100 skips a day (there’s one in your pack also!).
Sponsorship form – download this form to collect cash donations. You can then pay these onto your Facebook fundraiser and send us a photo/scan of the form to allow us to claim Gift Aid.
If you have any questions about the challenge, or need to speak to a member of our team, you can email fundraising@gbss.org.uk. Please also read our FAQs below.
Frequently asked questions
Once you have registered and set up your fundraising page, we aim to get your T-shirt and tracker to you within 10 working days.
Once you’ve signed up to the challenge and set up your fundraising page, we’ll send you your very own GBSS T-shirt and tracker in the post. You can use the tracker to tick off the days you do complete miles in April.
You can also download your tracker here
We are asking everyone who would like a GBSS T-shirt for the challenge to fundraise so that the costs of their T-shirt are covered.
Yes they can! While under 18s cannot join the Facebook group, they can still take part with a parent or guardians permission and fundraise through a JustGiving page here.
The only thing that matters is that you challenge yourself. Complete as many miles a day as you can throughout April. Every mile helps.
Of course! The challenge officially starts in April however, if you would like to start early or a bit later that is absolutely fine. As long as you challenge yourself, that is all we ask.
Fundraise by setting up a JustGiving page here or a Facebook fundraising page here. And then it’s simple just share the page on your social media with friends and family and see those donations come flying in!
There is no minimum fundraising requirement to take part. We recommend setting your fundraising pledge at £150, but the goal is to raise what you can. So you can choose to increase it, decrease it or keep it as it is.
Yes, we have a sponsorship form that you can download.
You can add cash donations by adding them to your fundraiser yourself.
If you don’t have an online fundraising page and are fundraising entirely offline, to pay funds in you can…
Donate on our website here: Donate | Group B Strep Support. Please make sure you reference ‘Marathon in a Month’ so that your donations go to the overall challenge total!
You can also call us on: 0330 120 0795
If you have trouble donating online please email fundraising@gbss.org.uk
Yes, you can create a team on JustGiving. There is more information on how to do that here.
Of course, but you’ll have to take the donation directly from them and add it to your own page. Alternatively, you can fundraise on JustGiving.
Directly to Group B Strep Support. You don’t have to worry about this. It happens automatically.
No – we trust you! But it’s a great idea to keep everyone updated on your progress by posting updates and pictures on your fundraiser. You can also use our social media badges to share your progress.
Here are some simple tips to get you started:
Share your fundraiser on all your social platforms, with your colleagues, friends and family.
Fundraising on Facebook, invite people to your fundraiser using the invite button at the top of your fundraising page.
Donate to your own fundraiser to get it off the mark.
There are a few key things you can do to make the most of your fundraising page, including:
Sharing your fundraiser
At the top of your Facebook Fundraising Page, you’ll see a button which says ’share‘, click on that and follow the steps to post it to your Facebook page. You can also copy and paste the link (URL) to share it on email, Facebook messenger, WhatsApp, or any other social platforms to ask for donations from specific friends, family or colleagues.
Telling your story
Tell your supporters why you are taking part in the challenge and what a difference their donations will make to Group B Strep Support.
Posting photos and content
Keep everyone updated. Try to share regular updates and progress pictures on your fundraising page and on your main social media accounts. Your supporters will enjoy sharing your journey with you and want to know how you’re getting on. Don’t forget to include with the link to your fundraising page. People will likely see how amazing you’re doing and donate to show their support.
You could post photos of your tracker with daily or weekly updates or post a photo and video of you out and about getting your miles in.
Why not share a photo of you in your T-shirt and with your tracker too?
Matched-funding
Ask your workplace if they can match fund your fundraising total, as this will really help to maximise vital funds.
Other hints and tips
Increase your target by £100 whenever you’re within £50 of reaching it, as people are more likely to donate to help you reach your target.
Are you a member of other Facebook groups? Share your Fundraiser in those groups and let people know why you are fundraising.
Yes! We have 2 amazing prizes this year.
Raise £75 and we’ll send you a GBSS Pin Badge to wear during your challenge.
Raise £150 and we’ll also send you an exclusive Marathon in a Month medal and certificate!
Delivery can take up to 14 days after you have reached a milestone.
Facebook fundraiser
Meta recently changed their donation processing fees and from November 1 2023 will charge a 1.4% + GBP 0.30 processing fee. .
If you’re using JustGiving, the platform attaches a small processing fee, which we have no control over. Read more about the JustGiving processing fee
If you have any questions, feedback or comments, we’d love to hear from you. You can email fundraising@gbss.org.uk
Group B Strep Support staff members moderate the group in office hours (9am-5pm) and the staff and volunteers moderate the group out of these hours and at weekends.
