Ever wondered how many steps a hospital porter completes in an average day? Well wonder no more… at Hampshire Hospitals, it’s 27,000 – that’s roughly 12 miles making sure our patients get where they need to be, when they need to be there. It’s a tough job and a physically challenging one walking all that way every day – could you do it? Take on our Steptember challenge to see if you’ve got what it takes to be a hospital porter and raise funds for Hampshire Hospitals Charity.

This fundraising event is also suitable for those in a wheelchair. To take part, simply complete the distance covered by a porter, however you want to.

The importance of hospital porters

At Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust, our porters make a massive difference. Here are just some of the ways they support patients and colleagues

In Basingstoke alone:

• Over 7,000 patients are moved each month

• 2,500 gas cylinders collected each month

• Over 600 meal trolleys are delivered and collected each week

• 23 tonnes of recycling is collected each month

Our hospitals really don’t work without our porters and we think they do a wonderful job. Time to see if you’re up to matching their hard work.

How to take part

Taking part is easy – you choose your distance, choose how you’ll do it and then get going.

Step 1. Choose your distance

• Match a day – Walk 27,000 steps (12 miles) in September

• Match a week – Walk 135,000 steps (60 miles) in September

• Match a month – Walk 540,000 steps (240 miles) in September

Step 2. Choose how to complete your challenge

• School or work break times

• Walk the dog each day

• Complete the weekly food shop

• Go on a hike

• A combination of all of the above and more

• You can even run your miles, swim them, wheel them... complete them however you choose.

It doesn’t matter how you complete your steps throughout the month but you must keep a record of them and complete them by 30 September.

Step 3. Register your details with us

We’d love to know you’re taking part so we can support you with your fundraising so, once you’ve decided how far you're going to walk and how you’re going to do it, complete the registration form below to let us know. We’ll then pop over a link to set up your fundraising page (or you can do that here) along with your step tracker and some handy tips to help.

Step 4. Get walking!

• Use an app such as Strava or your smartwatch step counter to record how far you walk

• Share your fundraising page with friends and family to help raise money with every step

• Keep us and everyone you know up to date with how you’re getting on by tagging Hampshire Hospitals Charity on social media and using the hashtag #Steptember

• Complete our step count sheet to keep a record of how far you’ve gone

Step 5. Tell us when you’ve completed the challenge

We’d love to know when you’ve completed your steps and you’ll be rewarded with a certificate at the end of the month to thank you for your fundraising. Just send us your completed step counter sheet so we know the distance you covered and we’ll get your certificate out to you as soon as we can.

Register to take part in Steptember

If you’d like to let us know you’re taking part, please register your details below. We’ll be in contact to see how you’re getting on and to see if you need any support from us with your fundraising.