Between 27th – 30th March, hundreds of people across the country will be taking on their own Light the Way walk to raise awareness and vital funds for Missing People. They say it’s “always darkest before the light”, and with this we’re proposing for participants to take on their walks in the evening, to shine a light of hope for families affected by missing.

With walks all across the UK, we’re aiming to come together in solidarity with, and to shine a light on, those affected by missing. Let’s shine a light on the issue and Light the Way together for missing people and their loved ones left in the dark.

A person is reported missing every 90 seconds in the UK, that's a staggering 170,000 missing people every year.

We are the only charity providing a lifeline for anyone affected by a person going missing.

For those left behind, we provide specialised support to ease the heartache and confusion, and help search for their missing loved ones.

Raising funds via your walk helps to ensure we can be there for more people.

Once you’ve signed up, choose your location and your route to take on your Light the Way walk. This could be around a walk around your local park, a stroll through woods, march together through your town centre, or take on a longer, more challenging route. We also encourage people to create a route in a place that is special – either to yourself, or to your missing loved one if you have lived experience – to possibly help raise awareness.

Next, invite your family, friends and colleagues. Make sure they register as well so they can receive their free glow stick, beanie hat and torch rewards. We encourage people to personalise their dress and create as much colour and light as possible, such as pink shoe laces, sweatbands, tops and glitter.

More gear is available on our online shop.

DIY means ‘Do It Yourself’, encouraging participants to come together between the dates of 27th – 30th March, and arrange a walk all on your own terms. Choose your date, time, location, distance and the people you want to walk – then you’re ready to take on your event in support of Missing People. Once you’re registered, we’ll support you on your Light the Way journey, providing your tips and advice when you need it.

Yes, absolutely! More of our participants will be taking on their walks during this period, but if you can’t make it then we’d still love for you to take part at a time that suits you.

Please register as normal and let us know at supporters@missingpeople.org.uk so we can respond with any necessary information.

There is not a mass in-person walk arranged, but you may find out about walks that are planned and being promoted – you are welcome to try and join these.

For safety reasons, Missing People can’t facilitate participants meeting up together. If you arrange to meet others, please carefully consider your safety.

No, it’s completely free to sign up. However, you can help us cover our costs and kick start your fundraising by adding your first donation to your fundraising page. Simply register by clicking ‘Sign up’ to set up your Raisely fundraising page.

Yes, once you sign up you can create or join a team fundraising page. Watch this video on how to create and join a team.

You’ll need a team name and team fundraising target to get started. When others sign up, they can choose to join your team by typing in the same team name, this will make sure you are all part of the same team and your pages are together. 

We ask that every team member sign up individually on our webpage so that we have your contact details to send your rewards when you hit each target.

There will also be the option to get up a team from the fundraising page set-up.

If you’re sharing a fundraising page, please ask your group leader (the person who set up the fundraising page) to let us know the name and contact details (including address) of everyone who’s sharing their fundraising page by emailing  supporters@missingpeople.org.uk.

This is so we can keep track of how much you've all raised to send out your prizes (beanie hat, LED torch, medals, and beanie hats) once you hit your fundraising targets. Each person must hit these fundraising targets to get their rewards.