Welcome to The Big Step Out 2026

June 10 – July 10

Our National Community Walking Festival celebrating unpaid carers and the people they care for throughout the UK.

24 Million

There are 24 million unpaid carers and the people they care for in the UK. Let's do what we can to help

Everyone Can Join In

To show you care for carers — walk, dance, run, jog, wheel, play this summer, wherever you are and with whoever you like.

🐶 If a dog is involved, you've hit the jackpot — their steps count double.
walk
dance
run
jog
wheel
play

Here's how

You don't need to do much to make a big difference

Your activity

Go for your walk — or any activity you love. Run, wheel, dance, skip, climb, jog. Whatever gets you moving counts. If a dog is involved, you've hit the jackpot — their steps count double.

Count your steps

Count your steps or wheel revolutions as you go. Don't worry about being exact — every step in the right direction is a good one.

Let us know how you did

Send your total to us via the link we'll provide. You can also send us your steps via email or on social media.

Add photos and tell us your story

Share a photo and tell us about your walk — especially if your steps are dedicated to a particular carer and the person they support. Your story matters.

Your steps are added to our total

Every step you take goes towards our national target. We're going for 10 million. Help us get there.

Last year we raised

9,517,530 steps

Our target this year: break the 10 million barrier

Our ambassadors and supporters

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Emma Wiggs MBE

Paralympic & World Kayak Champion

Anton Du Beke

Strictly come dancing star

Steps

Pop band

Angela Rippon

Actress and dancer

Steven Mangan

actor

Join us

get in touch today

Why it matters

"The level of care that unpaid carers provide has been calculated as the equivalent of £184 billion - the cost of a second NHS. If carers stopped caring tomorrow the whole health and social care system would collapse."

Helen Walker
Carers UK CEO

Please donate if you can

How does your donation help

Every penny of your funding will help us pay for scenic, social, wonderful walks, activities & adventure for carers and the people they care for.

Including visits to castles, forests, woodlands, coastlines, country parks, cathedrals, stately home and gardens, leisure centres, bowling clubs, dancing sessions, singing groups, gardening clubs, tai chi classes, weight training workouts and more.Healthy sociable lunches.Free transport for those who would not otherwise be able to take part.
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