DinoDay Facebook Challenge FAQs

How does Contact’s Facebook challenge for DinoDay work?

We want as many people as possible to get involved in DinoDay 2024.

Whether you choose to walk 19 miles, make 19 visits to the park, do 19 star jumps or just get out of the house 19 times – all you have to do is pick 19 activities’ that you’d like to do this June and ask your friends and family to sponsor you.

Big or small it’s totally up to you what 19 things you choose to do!

What do I have to do?

Joining the DinoDay Challenge couldn’t be easier – here’s how:

1. Join our DinoDay Stomp & Roar Facebook group.

2. Once in the group, you can register for your free t-shirt and challenge tracker.

3. Then, decide what 19 ‘things’ you and your family could do during June – e.g. walk 19 miles, take 19 trips to the park, do 19 star jumps a day. It’s entirely up to you, so long as the number 19 is involved!

5. Finally, set up your fundraiser and ask your friends and family to sponsor your challenge. After you complete the t-shirt registration form, you’ll be prompted to create your fundraiser on either Facebook or JustGiving. But it’s fine if you don’t want to do this straight away: you can always set it up later here. You can also fundraise offline using our printed sponsorship form.

Just a little heads up – we’ll need to see at least one donation on your fundraiser page before we can ship your t-shirt to you. We’ll automatically ship your t-shirt once you receive your first donation (whatever the amount).

If you’re fundraising offline, then you will need to email us at fundraising@contact.org.uk to let us know so we can ship your t-shirt to you.

The fundraiser will officially close on 15 July.

Can I get more than one t-shirt and activity tracker?

If you’ve got more than one little dino-lover joining the challenge, we’d be happy to send additional t-shirts your way once you’ve received at least one donation on your fundraiser.

Drop us an email at fundraising@contact.org.uk and we’ll organise this for you.

I still haven’t received my t-shirt

Your t-shirt and activity tracker will be automatically shipped to you once you’ve received at least one donation to your Facebook Fundraiser or JustGiving page.

If you are fundraising offline using our printed sponsorship form, or via a different fundraising platform, you will need to email us to let us know at fundraising@contact.org.uk. Then we’ll get your t-shirt shipped to you.

I’ve received a donation to my fundraiser, but I still haven’t received my t-shirt

Please allow up to 14 days for delivery once you’ve received a donation, but you will most likely receive it quicker than this.

We can check the status of your delivery for you by emailing your name and postcode to fundraising@contact.org.uk.

Who can take part?

Anyone who would like to – just choose 19 ‘things’ that work for you and your family and ask your friends and family to sponsor you.

How does my Facebook Challenge for DinoDay raise money for Contact?

By committing to do 19 activities during June and setting up a fundraising page, you can ask your friends and family to sponsor your challenge and these donations help Contact to support disabled children and their families.

How will Contact help me with my Facebook Challenge for DinoDay?

We’ll send you an activity tracker and a free t-shirt for your child to wear when doing the 19 activities you’ve chosen for your challenge.

We’ll also email you some helpful tips and suggestions and help setting up your fundraising page.

Our Dinoday Facebook group is a great place to meet other families also taking part in Contact’s Facebook Challenge. It will also be full of helpful ideas of things to do, and lots of dinosaur related activities.

Our team will be here to support your fundraising throughout the month!

Will everyone get a free t-shirt if they sign up to Contact’s Facebook Challenge for DinoDay?

Everyone who is actively taking part in the challenge will be eligible to receive a free t-shirt and printed activity tracker.

However, we will need to see at least one donation on your fundraiser page before we can ship your t-shirt to you.

When does Contact’s Facebook Challenge for DinoDay take place?

DinoDay itself is on 19 June, but you can do your challenge at any point during May or June.

Some participants do one activity a day, while others do them all in one day, it’s completely up to you!

The fundraiser will officially close on 15 July.

What happens if I don’t manage to stomp and roar before the end of June?

We’re asking you to choose an activity that you think is manageable for you and your family, but of course something might happen and you might not be able to complete it before the end of June. We’re very happy for you to continue into July if you need some extra time.

Where do I send any money I raise if I haven’t set up a Facebook fundraiser or JustGiving page?

You can also donate online via our website. Please include a note with your donation saying ‘Dino Day 2024’

Or you can send us a cheque to us: Contact, Wenlock Studios, 50-52 Wharf Road, London N1 7EU with a note saying ‘DinoDay’.

What will the money I raise be used for?

The money you raise through Contact’s Facebook Challenge for Dino Day will help Contact support more UK families with disabled children who are looking for information, advice and support about any aspect of raising a disabled child – from education, benefits and getting a diagnosis for their child to getting the right practical help and advice about managing caring and work.

We do everything we can to raise funds so we can offer our services free of charge for families with disabled children. But we can’t do it without you! By taking part in our  Facebook Challenge for DinoDay and raising funds this June, you’ll be helping us continue to change the lives of families with disabled children with our vital services and information.

Who is Contact?

Contact is the UK national charity that supports families with disabled children, whatever their disability or medical condition. We understand that life with a disabled child brings unique challenges and we exist to help families feel valued, supported, confident and informed.

What does Contact do?

We support UK families with disabled children in a number of different ways including our website, free national helpline, parent guides and factsheets, workshops and other resources. And we bring families together in local groups and online to support each other by sharing experiences and advice.

Find out more about our work.

In 2022/23 we supported over 182,000 families with our expert information, advice and support.

But we want to be there for every family with a disabled child that needs us now and in the future and we can’t do this without the help of people like you who help raise vital funds and awareness of the work we do.

What is DinoDay?

DinoDay is Contact’s annual awareness and fundraiser which takes place on or around the 19 June.

DinoDay was inspired by a little boy called Cameron Mathieson who loved dinosaurs! Cameron had both Cystic Fibrosis and Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy and spent more than two years in hospital before he sadly passed away aged five in 2012. 

At that time, the main benefit for disabled children – Disability Living Allowance (DLA) – was taken away from children like Cameron who spent long periods in hospital. Contact supported the Mathieson family’s legal challenge to this unfair rule and in 2015, the Mathiesons made history when they won their landmark case at the Supreme Court.  

Because of the Mathieson’s determination, hundreds of families of the most disabled and poorly children are no longer denied financial help when they need it most.

Why is DinoDay held on 19 June?

Cameron Mathieson’s birthday falls on 19 June and we celebrate with DinoDay to remember Cameron and the difference he and his family made for so many of the families we support.

How many disabled children are there in the UK?

There are 1 million disabled children in the UK, 33% more than a decade ago.

A quarter of parents of disabled children provide 100 hours of care a week – equivalent to three full-time jobs and over half (52%) of families with a disabled child are at risk of experiencing poverty, due to the difficulties of working and caring.

It costs three times more to raise a disabled child, as it does to raise a child without disabilities.

More families than ever before are turning to Contact for information, advice and support.