A group of adults wearing National Autistic Society T-shirts walk together along a riverside path lined with autumn leaves. A bridge and city buildings appear in the background. Large text on the image reads 'Workplace 5k challenge'.A group of adults wearing National Autistic Society T-shirts walk together along a riverside path lined with autumn leaves. A bridge and city buildings appear in the background. Large text on the image reads 'Workplace 5k challenge'.

World Autism Acceptance Month is our flagship fundraising campaign. The campaign aims to galvanise the UK to help create a society that works for autistic people and encourages participants to support us through fundraising and awareness-raising activities.

To celebrate this important month, we are launching a new virtual challenge for corporate companies. This challenge will encourage participants to bring colleagues together during World Autism Acceptance Month, get active, participate in friendly competition and raise vital funds to support autistic people and their families.

Workplace 5k challenge

Join the Workplace 5k challenge this April and rally your colleagues to take on a fun, virtual fitness challenge, helping us make 2026 our biggest World Autism Acceptance Month yet.

What is it? 

The Workplace 5k challenge is a month-long virtual challenge designed for companies to encourage team building, friendly competition and the chance to raise funds to support autistic people and their families. 
 
Whether you run, walk, cycle or swim — every 5k counts.  

Your team’s goal? 
  • complete the highest number of cumulative 5ks 
  • raise the most money for the National Autistic Society.

How it works 

  • form a team (minimum three people) and choose a team name
  • register and set up your JustGiving fundraising page to track your fundraising efforts
  • complete 5ks throughout April — you can do this individually or together as a group activity. Your 5k efforts can be in various formats. Accepted activities include the below:

- Run/Walk: 5km

- Swim: 1km (0.6 miles)

- Cycle: 15km (9 miles)

  • foster some friendly competition and compete against teams across the company and other companies taking part in the challenge
  • track your progress using Strava or similar apps
  • share your journey on social media using #TeamAutism5kchallenge
  • submit your final results to the National Autistic Society’s corporate partnerships team at the end of the challenge – corporate.partnership@nas.org.uk.

Fundraising target 

We’re asking each participant to aim for a minimum of £150 — every pound helps us continue our work supporting autistic people across the UK.

Why take part? 

Autistic people face discrimination and barriers across all sectors of society — in health and social care systems, education, employment and many other core measures of life outcomes.

  • Only 26% of autistic children are happy at school.
  • Just 30% of autistic people are in employment — one of the lowest rates for disabled people.
  • 70% of autistic young people have mental health problems, compared to 13% of their non-autistic peers.
  • Autistic people are four times more likely to experience loneliness and social isolation than non-autistic people.

As the UK’s leading autism charity, we work to create a society that truly works for autistic people, but we can’t do it alone. With your support, we can keep fighting for the rights of over 700,000 autistic adults and children across the UK.

Support you’ll receive

  • a challenge guide to support your efforts
  • digital certificates to celebrate your achievement
  • a promotion poster to advertise the challenge in your company
  • National Autistic Society social media recognition
  • support and encouragement from our corporate fundraising team.

Ready to get started? 

Click below to register your team and download your challenge pack.

Let’s move, fundraise, and make a difference — together.

Sign up for the Workplace 5k challenge