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 2023.

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 ‘somethings’ that you’d like to 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?

It couldn’t be simpler:

1. 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.

2. Set up your fundraising page for Contact. Use this link to set up your fundraiser.

Take a look at Facebook’s instructions for more guidance on how to do this.

3. Ask your friends and family to sponsor you.

When you register for Contact’s DinoDay we’ll send you an activity tracker and DinoDay t-shirt for your child to wear when you do your chosen challenge activity!

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 ‘somethings’ 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?

Once you register your interest in taking on our Facebook Challenge for DinoDay we will invite you to join our DinoDay Stomp and Roar Facebook group.

The Facebook group will be a place you can meet other families also taking part in Contact’s Facebook Challenge this year and it will be full of helpful ideas of things to do, and lots of dinosaur related activities.

 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 with   setting up your fundraising page.

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?

As long as stocks last!

Our t-shirts come in children’s sizes only: age  5-6; 7-8 and 9-11. We also have limited stock of t-shirts size for 12-13 year olds.

You’ll be sent a t-shirt in the size you specify for one child only.

There is also the opportunity to have extra t-shirts sent to you if you have more than one  child in your family who would like to take part. However, in order to cover the extra cost this entails like postage and packaging we will ask you for a donation of £3 for the extra t-shirts you would like.

You can ask for extra t-shirts by emailing fundraising@contact.org.uk

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

You can sign up to take part in Contact’s Facebook Challenge for DinoDay anytime during May, and undertake your challenge activities any time during June.

Who else is taking part in Contact’s Facebook Challenge for DinoDay?

Once you have registered to take part in Contact’s Facebook Challenge for DinoDay you’ll be invited to join our DinoDay Stomp and Roar Facebook group.

You’ll find lots of other families taking part in Contact’s Facebook Challenge for DinoDay in the group – the ideal place to share your progress, ideas and tips! You’ll get the link to join the group once you register.

What happens if I don’t manage to stomp and roar for 19 days?

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 within the month 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 Challenge page?

You can also donate online via our website. Please include a note with your donation saying ‘Dino Day 2023’

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.