Join the challenge to save young lungs

How you'll make a difference

Every step you take and every pound you raise will directly fund life-changing research into childhood lung disease, helping to improve imaging technology for children who desperately need it. From parents of premature babies battling the unknown, to children living with the daily weight of cystic fibrosis and asthma, your support will help find answers and improve care.

And your impact will be doubled—thanks to a generous donor, all fundraising through the Big Walk will be match-funded up to £75,000. This means that for every mile you walk and every donation you secure, you are providing twice the support for vulnerable children ensuring that no child has to struggle for breath.

How to take part

Sign-ups aren't open just yet, but whilst we make the final touches to the route, you can register your interest to take part. Let us know whether you'd like to walk, run or volunteer and you'll be the first to find out when registration opens at the end of February.

Register your interest to take part in the Big Walk 2026

The impact of your support

Lung disease is an invisible crisis, yet standard tests like CT scans are often unsafe for children due to ionising radiation. Researchers at the University of Sheffield have developed a breakthrough, radiation-free MRI technique to provide clinicians with clear, real-time imaging.

By supporting a new Clinical Research Fellow, you’ll help to move this technology from the lab into the hands of doctors who are caring for children with lung conditions. The more researchers we have working on this area the sooner new ways of treating children with lung conditions will be in the hands of doctors. 

Ending the "suck it and see" cycle for premature babies

For babies born before 32 weeks, every breath is a battle. One in three of these infants is at risk of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD), a chronic and potentially life-limiting condition. Because standard CT scans carry significant radiation risks for infants, doctors have historically lacked a safe way to visualise developing lungs. This forces a "suck it and see" approach to weaning babies off ventilators, which can lead to terrifying setbacks—like emergency resuscitation.

The lack of clear information leaves parents feeling horrendously lonely and in the dark, as well as anxious that even a simple cuddle might trigger a life-threatening infection. This uncertainty persists long after leaving hospital, as families endure years of horrifying nightly coughing fits, never knowing if their child’s lungs are truly working. Our breakthrough, radiation-free MRI provides the definitive imaging needed to replace guesswork with clear treatment plans, transforming the gruelling NICU routine into a journey with a visible finish line.

Personalising Cystic Fibrosis care

Over 11,000 people in the UK live with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). While revolutionary "gene-fixing" treatments now tackle the underlying cause of the disease, these drugs are expensive and their effectiveness varies from child to child. Currently, clinicians have no safe, routine way to look inside the lungs of children with CF to check if these medications are actually working. Your support helps us use MRI to monitor these treatments in real-time, moving away from "waiting and seeing" to ensure every child receives the precise, personalised care they need.

Improving diagnosis for childhood asthma

Asthma is the most common long-term medical condition for children in the UK, affecting 1 in 11. However, many more remain undiagnosed and vulnerable to life-threatening attacks because children under five cannot perform traditional breathing tests. While asthma is often exacerbated by environmental factors like pollution and damp housing, it remains notoriously difficult to identify early. Our MRI technology can spot structural damage and "air-trapping" that standard tests miss, allowing for earlier intervention and ensuring every child gets the right treatment from the start.