This January we set you a mission: complete 88 exercises a day, or an 88-related challenge of your choosing, to support the 88,000 people living with a brain tumour in the UK. And we called this charity challenge, Challenge 88.
You stepped up to the challenge and have made a life-changing difference for people affected by brain tumours. So far raising a fantastic £31,078 and spreading tons of awareness on social media!
Challenges ranged from squats, planks (ouch!) and bike rides, to rounding up 88 jokes and selfies from family and friends. Your energy, passion and imagination has been an inspiration for us all.
Here are the challenges for charity you chose
Theresa
“My mum was diagnosed with a glioblastoma last May and that led me to join The Brain Tumour Charity Facebook group. It really struck me how many people in the UK had a brain tumour and how many of them were children.
“My great-grandmother, great-grandfather and great-aunt all died from brain tumours and having a two-year-old myself, I couldn’t think of anything worse than watching her go through cancer as well.
“I can’t change my mum’s diagnosis and the outcome, but I felt like I could do something by taking on Challenge 88 and helping to fund research.
“I did 88 of a different exercise every day – squats, wall planks, sit-ups, press-ups, knee lifts, grapevines, lunges, step ups, etc. I even used some personal training sessions with my friend to complete some challenges.
“I’ve enjoyed doing the challenges and thinking of something new each day. I was a fitness-phobe before all of this, but it’s really helped push me. My personal trainer and I can see a massive difference already, which makes me feel great about getting healthier to care for my mum and be around longer for my daughter.”
Martin
“I was diagnosed with a brain tumour last year and took on Challenge 88 as a way to make me do something active every day. My challenges were all movements from CrossFit, which I’m mad about, and I slowly built back up to returning to CrossFit, which was a real win!
“I had a few days where I was sick, including due to side effects of my radiotherapy, but I always managed to catch up after by combining the exercises into little workouts.
“I was expecting to really struggle but I’ve enjoyed seeing how much better I am with my fitness than I thought I’d be!”
Caroline
“I took on Challenge 88 because The Charity helped me immensely during my diagnosis and treatment in the last 18 months and still is with my ongoing recovery. I feel ready, physically and mentally, to give something back, hopefully helping someone else and their families through their journey.
“I did 88 different daily exercises on a weekly rotation. It’s been squats, planks, lifts, etc. I even tried 88 seconds on my son’s Segway!
“The support and positivity from the Challenge 88 Facebook group has been wonderfully motivating and inspiring. It’s been a real achievement personally to manage the exercises, with the added challenge of Dry January!
“I decided to use social media as my fundraising platform and have been blown away by the support and donations from my Facebook and Instagram friends. They’ve supported me through the last 18 months and together we’re hopefully making a difference.”
Stacey
“I was diagnosed in November with an optic nerve meningioma and had a craniotomy and optic nerve decompression. Unfortunately, the tumour couldn’t be removed due to its position and I’ve lost the sight in my right eye. Doing this challenge is so important to me – I want to raise awareness and help where possible.
“My challenges have been different every day. Just some of them include…
- getting 88 people to send me a selfie of themselves wearing a hat, and getting 88 jokes sent to me!
- doing 88 punches on a punch bag, 88-second planks, 88 squats and 88 leg lifts
- writing out eight inspirational cards and leaving them in eight random places
- Buying 88 roses and placing them on my brother’s, mum’s, dad’s and father-in-law’s resting places (22 each).
“Doing these challenges has given me focus at such a challenging time – it’s given me a purpose to push forward.”
Siobhan
“My husband was diagnosed with a glioma in April 2022 and through everything I felt a bit helpless, so Challenge 88 has helped me feel like I’m doing something to help not just my husband but others.
“I’ve done a mixture of exercises, from 8.8km bike rides, skipping, lunges and squats to tyre flips and more. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed doing something each day that’s helped me become that bit fitter. It’s also given me something to work towards.
“I originally set my target as £300 and my current grand total is £4,174!”
How you can get involved in charity challenges
We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who took part up and down the UK. You’re all heroes! If you’ve been inspired by Challenge 88, take a look at our events and find out how else you can get involved.