Challenge Events 2025 – £17,180 raised for Rising Sun!

In June four phenomenally brave woman took to the skies in the Wing Walking challenge. Strapped on top of a plane they reached heights of 700ft and speeds of 110mph!
One of the group, Yasmine, shared

“I was mostly just excited before the event, as I knew it was going to be a really great day out. The nerves started to kick in once we got to Headcorn airport and we were watching other people going up, but seeing everyone’s delighted faces as they came back down brought the excitement back! After the event, it was an unbeatable feeling! It was great to know that we’d all done something huge for a such an important cause, and there was a real buzz amongst the group. I was also exhausted and think I had the best sleep I’d had in ages that night!”

The next challenge group also reached incredible heights to raise money for Rising Sun. A team of 19 hikers took on the Three Peaks in August, but little did they know the weekend they chose was to be battered by Storm Floris!

Joe told us the team were a little nervous at the start, but this turned to adrenaline highs and elation once they’d completed the challenge which at times was ‘long, arduous, and gruelling’!

“Cracking Ben Bevis was also an excellent feeling as we celebrated our first mountain at the highest point of the UK. The highlight has to be navigating our way through Snowdon during Storm Floris, which had up to 70mph winds on the summit! We all held hand hands and battled our way through the storm to achieve our mission of completing the three peaks for this great cause.”

Our next event was a little closer to home, The Big Half in September – a hugely popular half marathon through the streets of London. With public entries totally sold out, Rashad was one of the lucky runners who secured a free place through Rising Sun, and was delighted to achieve his aim of finishing under 2 hours – just – his time was 1 hour and 57 mins!

“I really appreciate your support and motivating me to raise funds for this brilliant charity. I hope you and the team at Rising Sun continue the great and meaningful work you all do and continue to support survivors of domestic abuse.”

A few weeks later, we finished our year of extraordinary challenge events with a chilly dip in London’s Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park. Swim Serpentine is another hugely over subscribed event and it’s a joy to be able to offer free places to our supporters, with a pledge to raise a fundraising target.

We had swimmers in the half mile and one mile distances, taking to the waters with hundreds of other swimmers, as well as ducks and swans!

Sneha swam the one mile – one day before her 35th birthday! As a lawyer, she was keen to support Rising Sun having worked with survivors and witnessed the courage it takes to leave.

“I wanted a birthday challenge that combined personal growth with a meaningful cause – and the Serpentine was perfect… The atmosphere at the finishing stretch – cheers, smiles, banners – was electric. It felt like a celebration not just of completing the swim, but also of supporting a cause I deeply care about. And of course the birthday pints started immediately after!”

We can’t thank our challenge heroes enough, for their determination, bravery and generosity.

Participating in organised events is such a fantastic way to raise money and awareness for the work we do. You can apply for Rising Sun places and pledge to raise a fundraising target or you can choose to use your own place in an event to fundraise for Rising Sun.

Every pound you raise enables us to support more survivors towards safety, recovery and a positive future.

Whether you’re running a marathon, cold-water swimming, hiking mountains or flying through the skies, your kindness is helping change the lives of survivors experiencing domestic abuse.

If you’re thinking about taking on a challenge, Beth says

“You should definitely go for it! You’re supported every step of the way. We are already thinking about which challenge we would like to do next!”