DinoDay roars past £10k as families take on a month of fun challenges

3 mins read

Tuesday 4 June 2024

Tags: dinosaur day, dinoday

June has only just started and yet hundreds of families have already raised more than £10,000 for this month’s DinoDay Stomp & Roar Challenge!

Families up and down the country have been busy taking on exciting challenges of their choice this month as part of DinoDay, our annual fundraising event on 19 June – all while rocking their free dino t-shirts and activity trackers.

We’ve been blown away by the uniquely creative activities that this year’s participants have chosen to raise funds for our vital services. Some of our favourites include:

  • Doing 19 acts of kindness – with Heidie and her brother taking homemade cupcakes to staff at their local hospital this week, while Oscar donated kitten food to a cat rescue
  • Trying to learn a new ‘Just  Dance’ video routine over 19 days
  • Learning to hula-hoop in 19 days
  • Trying 19 new foods (a tough feat for those with sensory issues!)
  • Reading and reviewing 19 dino-themed books

It’s been heart-warming to see children of all ages and abilities take on often difficult challenges because they want to help other families.

And the parents have enjoyed it too, with mum Debbie – whose son Alfie is taking on 19 different activities – telling us: “We have done a woodland walk, a river walk, a trip to the beach, visited arcades, discos, went on rides and even tried new foods. What a great way to get out of the house and explore all whilst raising money for a fabulous charity.”

There’s still time to join the fun

It’s not too late to get involved in our DinoDay Challenge and help us smash our £25,000 target before our fundraiser officially closes on 15 July!

All you’ll need to do is join the DinoDay Challenge Facebook group before registering for your free t-shirt and setting up your fundraiser. See our step-by-step instructions here for more information about how to take part.

Once you’ve received at least one donation to your fundraiser, we’ll automatically ship your t-shirt and activity tracker so your children can take on their challenges in style.

The challenge you take on is entirely up to you – just make sure the number 19 is involved!

The inspiration behind DinoDay

The inspiration behind DinoDay is a little boy called Cameron Mathieson, who had both Cystic Fibrosis and Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy and sadly passed away when he was five years old after spending over two years in hospital.

With Contact’s support, Cam’s family successfully challenged the government through the courts to make things fairer for families with disabled children.

Cameron, who was born on 19 June, loved dinosaurs – or as he called them, Dowsers – and his favourite Dowser was a green triceratops called Troy!

Find out more about DinoDay and Cameron’s story.