Black Country Women’s Aid is asking our fantastic supporters to take part in a sponsored walk of 5, 10 or 15km around our stunning local canal network.

Known locally as ‘the cut’, there are more than 800km of scenic West Midlands canals to choose from for your sponsored walk.

Step up to the challenge and help us raise money for vital support services for families fleeing domestic abuse.

How does it work?

  • Plan your own route and distance and take on the challenge any time before the end of September.
  • Sign up here by yourself or in a team of up to 5 people. You could be a group of friends, a family or a corporate team.
  • Compete against your friends and colleagues by checking out our leaderboards. There are prizes for the person and the team of 5 who raise the most money!
  • Share your pictures with us on social media using the #cutoutabuse26 hashtag so that we can celebrate your success.

We will be with you every step of the way with social media updates and a special fundraising pack with top tips and advice.

It is free to take part and registrations are open now here.

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

About Cut out Abuse, our 2026 sponsored walk challenge

What is Cut out Abuse?

Cut out Abuse is a canalside and waterway sponsored walk fundraiser to raise money for Black Country Women’s Aid.
The challenge is to walk 5, 10 or 15kms along the West Midlands canal network. The date, location and distance of your walk is up to you, but it has to take place before the end of September 2026. You will be part of an online community who choose their own walk routes, times and teams, and who are all supporting Black Country Women’s Aid to provide more vital children’s services.

Do I walk by myself or as part of a team?

You can sign up as an individual, but we would love to see teams of family, friends and colleagues walking together. The maximum number per team is 5 people, but there can be multiple teams from the same organisation.

Who can take part?

Anyone can take part as long as you are fit, healthy and are able to complete either a 5,10 or 15km walk. The distance you choose does not have to be completed in one go, but can be spread over multiple walks.
However, if you are under 18, you must get permission from a parent or legal guardian before registering.
Children under 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times when completing their sponsored walk.

Signing up

What happens when I register as an individual?

Your registration page is also your fundraising page. Once you enter all your details, you are ready to start fundraising immediately. You can share your page by copying the URL for social media posts. Your individual page can also be linked to a team page.
What happens when I register a team?
You may want to take the lead as a team leader. You can register your team members all at the same time, or you can invite others to join the team by registering in their own time. Team and individual pages are linked so that your supporters can choose to support individuals (like in a group of friends) or teams (like a group of colleagues participating as a corporate supporter).

Can I use an alias to register?

Yes, if it is not safe for you to use your name when registering, we strongly recommend using an alias so you can not be identified online but can still enjoy taking part in the challenge. We are very grateful to our community of survivors and those with lived experience of abuse who support and champion BCWA.

What should I include on my fundraising page?

On your individual fundraising page, you can:
• Confirm the suggested target of £100
• Upload a profile picture (people are more likely to donate when there is a photo of the fundraiser). However, if you would prefer not to upload a photo, please do what is best for you
• Write your story. You can use our suggested text or give your own personal reasons for why you are supporting us
• Share your success. You can upload the distance you have walked, videos, photos or live stream to your page and let your supporters know how you are doing

Updating your progress

Update your supporters on your progress by entering how far you’ve walked on your individual fundraising page. You can also do this automatically by connecting your Strava app to your page. Your team page will also update automatically when you track your individual progress.

Why is updating my page important?

By logging your progress on your page, you can track your milestones and be added to our leader boards. There are prizes for the individual and team who raise the most money.

Fundraising

How much do I need to raise?

We are asking you to set a target of £100 per person or £500 per team. There are prizes for the top fundraisers, so don’t be shy to ask your family, friends and colleagues to sponsor you.
How can I hit my fundraising target?
We’ll email you a fundraising pack with tips and advice to help you.
Can people gift aid their sponsorship?
Yes, if they are eligible, they could increase the value of their donations by 25% at no additional cost to them. They will be asked about this when they use the donation form.

What will I be fundraising for?

With your help, Black Country Women’s Aid can support more children and families affected by domestic abuse to heal, thrive and look forward to a brighter future.
How you can help

  • £10 could cover travel for a mum and her children to attend a support group.
  • £100 could buy the resources needed for an art therapy session supporting five families.
  • £1000 could pay for an all-day outdoor wellbeing session where a group of young people with similar experiences of domestic violence and abuse can make new friends, support each other and create new, happy memories.

If we exceed our target, your support will help even more children, funding help for families to heal together through counselling and trauma recovery programmes.

What happens if the supporters raise more or less of the campaign’s target amount?

We hope that each team of 5 will work towards a target of £500.
If targets are not met, or are even exceeded, we will still use the money raised to support children and families with a range of support needs including counselling, advocacy and wellbeing.

Completing the Challenge

When and where should I do my sponsored walk?

How you do your sponsored walk is entirely up to you! Just choose your distance and plan a route through the West Midlands canal network to ‘cut’ out abuse. You can complete your challenge during your lunch break at work, or during a day out. You can even take your time and do it over a couple of weekends or over multiple evenings. However, please ensure that you complete the challenge by the end of September.

More information and support

If you have a query or require assistance, please email development@blackcountrywomensaid.co.uk

 

 

Terms and Conditions of Entry

Cut out Abuse – Canalside/waterside sponsored walk for Black Country Women’s Aid

These Terms and Conditions (Terms) apply to people supporting Black Country Women’s Aid by undertaking a canalside or waterside sponsored walk as part of our Cut out Abuse fundraising campaign.

 

1. General

 

1.1 This sponsored walk fundraiser is organised by Black Country Women’s Aid (The Charity), registered charity number 1032298.

1.2 By registering either as an individual or as part of a team, you agree to comply with the terms and conditions listed below. 1.3 If you have any questions, please contact development@blackcountrywomensaid.co.uk

 

2. Participation

 

2.1 All participants must be physically capable of completing their chosen walk. If you have a medical condition or are unsure of your physical ability to take part in a Cut out Abuse sponsored walk, you must seek medical advice from a GP or specialist prior to registering.

2.2 Participants must acknowledge and accept responsibility for any personal injury or loss.

2.3 Black Country Women’s Aid is not liable for any personal injury or loss sustained by participants or spectators taking part in or watching a Cut out Abuse sponsored walk.

 

3. Registration

 

3.1 In order to be acknowledged as a Cut out Abuse participant, you must complete the registration form on Enthuse, the online fundraising platform that we are using for this fundraiser.

3.2 Registrations must be received prior to the end of September 2026. Any registrations received after September 2026 will not be acknowledged as a participant.

3.3 If you are under the age of 18, you must get permission from your parent or legal guardian before registering. By completing the registration form, this constitutes that you have obtained permission.

3.4 Participants under 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times when completing their sponsored walk.

3.5 When choosing to take part with children, please consider the length and location of the walk, and the weather conditions when it is undertaken. Extra vigilance is needed to keep children safe when they are close to water.

3.6 Please ensure that you have everything you need for your sponsored walk including water, charged mobile phone, first aid kit, snacks etc. This is particularly important during periods of hot weather.

3.7 We ask that people register for the sponsored walk in teams of a maximum of 5 people.

3.8 If you are registering someone on their behalf, you must include all of the personal details requested in the registration form. By registering them, you also confirm that you have obtained their consent and that they agree to these terms.

3.9 You may bring your dog on your sponsored walk but he/she must be well-behaved and kept on a lead at all times.

3.10 You acknowledge that Black Country Women’s Aid is unable to insure you to participate in your sponsored walk and should you require any type of insurance, that it is your responsibility to secure it.

 

4. Fundraising and donations

 

4.1 We request that individual participants aim to raise a minimum of £100, or a minimum of £500 as part of a team of 5, in sponsorship and donations.

4.2 All participants have a legal responsibility to ensure that all monies/donations/sponsorship received in connection with the Cut out Abuse fundraiser are paid to Black Country Women’s Aid. We ask that this be done by Friday 31st October through the Enthuse platform. If you accept offline sponsorship/donations, please contact development@blackcountrywomensaid.co.uk to arrange transferring that money to the Charity.

4.3 You will act lawfully when fundraising and will not put undue pressure on people to sponsor you.

4.4 You will not do anything that may damage Black Country Women’s Aid reputation or act in a manner contrary to our values.

4.5 Please ensure that people know that you are fundraising ‘in aid of Black Country Women’s Aid’ and that you are not representing the Charity in any way.

 

5. Changes and cancellations

 

5.1 If you register but are unable to participate in Cut out Abuse for any reason, we ask that you notify us as soon as possible please.

5.2 If sponsorship money was given to you on the condition that you complete your sponsored walk, but you were subsequently unable to do so, then you should contact your sponsors to ask if they are still happy for their money to be donated to Black Country Women’s Aid. Please contact development@blackcountrywomensaid.co.uk should sponsors request that their donation be returned due to you not completing the sponsored walk, and we can arrange a refund.

5.3 Entry is personal to participants and cannot be transferred to anyone else.

5.4 Black Country Women’s Aid reserves the right without liability or prior notice to cancel or postpone the Cut out Abuse sponsored walk fundraiser.

 

6. Code of Conduct

 

6.1 When participating in your sponsored walk, please be respectful of your teammates and others including people using the canal pathways e.g. cyclists, dog walkers, local residents etc.

6.2 Participants are responsible for their own safety, actions and conduct while completing their sponsored walk.

6.3 Black Country Women’s Aid will not accept responsibility for your safety, actions and conduct, nor the consequences of your actions and conduct.

6.4 We request that you refrain from drinking alcohol while participating in your sponsored walk.

6.5 We ask that you do not behave in a way which may cause injury to you or others, cause offence to others, damage the property of others or damage Black Country Women’s Aid’s reputation.

6.6 We ask that you please respect the environment when undertaking your sponsored walk e.g. keep noise to a minimum, do not disturb wildlife and either dispose of all litter responsibly, or take it home with you.

6.7 Please do not trespass or walk on private land while taking part in Cut out Abuse. Please choose a route that is open to the public.

 

7. Communications

 

7.1 By registering for Cut out Abuse, you agree to Black Country Women’s Aid emailing you in relation to the fundraiser. These communications help ensure that Black Country Women’s Aid can deliver relevant information to support your participation and fundraising activities.

7.2 Communications can include: support for completing registrations; fundraising tips, advice and updates; information on how money raised will be used; motivational updates during the period of Cut out Abuse; links to online content relevant to your participation in Cut out Abuse; Black Country Women’s Aid news that, given your involvement in Cut out Abuse, may be of interest to you.

 

8. Use of personal data

8.1 Your personal data will be processed in accordance with Black Country Women’s Aid’s Privacy Policy.

8.2 You acknowledge that where necessary, Black Country Women’s Aid will share your contact details with other third parties involved in the administration of this fundraiser. We will never share your data with any other third parties, unless you agree.

8.3 You acknowledge that any photography or film footage taken as part of your participation in the Cut out Abuse fundraiser can be used for promotional and marketing purposes for this specific campaign and any future Black Country Women’s Aid fundraising activity, including but not limited to promotion on the Black Country Women’s Aid website and third-party websites, social media, in online and print media publications and other marketing materials. If you do not wish for your image to be used in this way, please contact development@blackcountrywomensaid.co.uk.