OUR CAUSE
Bare Your Soles is an event for fundraising for Ataxia UK, a charity that supports people affected by ataxia. Ataxia is a group of neurological disorders that affect balance, coordination, and speech. Ataxia UK provides support, information, and research to improve the lives of people with ataxia. By participating in Bare Your Soles, you can help raise awareness and funds for this important cause.
Bare Your Soles is more than just a walk. It's an opportunity to connect with others, to challenge yourself, and to make a difference all whilst connecting with nature in the trailblazing 3500-acre rewilding project at the Knepp Estate in West sussex. Whether you walk alone or with a team, you'll be part of a community that cares.
What it feels like to have Ataxia
"As a parent of a child with Ataxia, it is heart breaking! To see her friends running off having fun and seeing that she wants desperately to join in but she can't. Knowing that she is going to find things harder and harder and her body is going to get weaker and weaker. We feel helpless.
The relationship with her sibling is strained as he is now able to run faster than her, swim faster than her, ride his bike better than her, all at the time when things are becoming more and more difficult for her. Its hard for him too as he loved nothing more than running with his sister and now they can't do that anymore! She is mad at him, but cant explain why. She knows it's not fair and its not his fault. He is so confused because he doesn't know how to be!
It is bringing them closer together, even though everything is trying to pull them apart! He silently puts out a hand when she is struggling to walk up a hill. She cheers him on when they are swimming. He stands up for her when people say mean things and she is helping him feel comfortable with school transitions because she knows how hard it can be.
We are so proud of them both and they surprise us everyday with their resilience and their ability to find fun amongst it all!
JOIN US
Registration is now open for Bare Your Soles a barefoot walk for Ataxia UK. You can sign up as an individual or as a team. There is a registration fee, which includes a finishers medal for the children, finishers drink for the adults, ice-creams for all and BBQ at a near by pub. You can also purchase merchandise to support the cause either through the web site or on the day.
SPREAD THE WORD
RAISE FUNDS
WIN PRIZES
