Fundraising
8 in 10 people want a new lease of life, survey finds
Eight out of 10 people in the UK (61 per cent) don’t feel fulfilled in their personal life amid the drudge of daily routine and a lack of motivation, according to our new OnePoll survey.
To help combat this, we are encouraging people to take on one of our challenge events to ignite excitement, a purpose and something new to work towards.
The research found that January is considered the best time to try something new as it symbolises a fresh start and motivation is high after the Christmas period.
On new starts, the results found that a quarter of people believe starting a new hobby will be beneficial to their life and 27 per cent think taking on a challenge that benefits them mentally and physically will help.
We know just how rewarding taking on a physical event for charity can be. With four in 10 believing that getting outside and more frequent exercise will help them and that a third of people have a lack of confidence to step out of their comfort zone, our challenge events are able to facilitate both of these in a supportive way.
A whopping 72 per cent would like to stick to a goal that is mentally fulfilling and almost six in 10 (59 per cent) think it’s important to give something back to the local community and 53 per cent would like to do more for charity.
We also found that 35 per cent of us would take on a challenge to feel more fulfilled through running, swimming or volunteering.
Get out of your comfort zone
Dan Geneen, our Head of Fundraising, said: “Feeling unfulfilled isn’t uncommon, but it’s great to see so many people want to change this. Small steps like making time for more exercise and fresh air, as well as setting yourself a challenge like signing up to our charity events can really help give you that sense of purpose.
“Doing something out of your normal comfort zone can have many benefits from increased confidence to a greater sense of fulfilment. This is especially true if you’re doing something that positively impacts other people as well as yourself. You are never too old to try something new – if you don’t take the plunge, you will never know the benefits.
“It’s great to see so many people have started a hobby and are still keeping it up. “It shows the risk of trying something new can pay off, despite it feeling perhaps a bit overwhelming to begin with. In 2025 we want to help people feel a sense of fulfilment and achieve their goals.
“By completing an event for our charity, you’re raising vital money for lifesaving research to help look after others health too.”
Hannah Freeman’s story
Hannah Freeman from Bristol took part in our 54-mile London to Brighton Bike Ride to honour her daughter, Belle, who was born with a congenital heart condition and has undergone three open-heart surgeries since 2012.
The 32-year-old mother of four, who took on the challenge alongside with her best friend Lauren, wanted to help further fund pioneering research; such as that which helped save her 12-year-old daughter’s life.
At 12 hours old, after being breathless and refusing to feed, Hannah was told by a doctor that Belle had a heart murmur and they were moved to a specialist hospital
There, Belle was diagnosed with a serious congenital heart condition called truncus arteriosus. This means her heart does not pump blood effectively enough to her brain, lungs and the rest of her body due to an issue with her aorta and pulmonary artery.
As a first-time cyclist, Hannah hopes to inspire others to take on a charity event as well as give back to the cause that helped save her daughter’s life.
Hannah said: “Belle is my inspiration. She’s so strong, very practical and positive. We say that Belle lives with heart disease – not everyone lives with heart disease.
“I feel like I’m very limited in the things I can do as Belle’s mum. Raising money for the British Heart Foundation is something I can do that’s positive, tangible and I feel in control of. It makes me feel proud to know that by taking on this cycling challenge I am having a positive impact on not just Belle’s life but so many other people across the UK who live with heart disease. I know Belle is proud too.”