Walk Your AS Off

Thank you to everyone who joined Walk Your AS Off 2024!

By joining Walk Your AS Off (or WYASO, for short), you:

• Kept active.
• Raised awareness of axial SpA.
• Raised over £4,500 for NASS.
• Became part of a community of people living with axial SpA.

Thank you!

A huge thank you to Gillian Eames and Kathy Miller for leading 3 amazing NASS teams to walk an incredible total of 32,399,847 steps to raise awareness of axial SpA. 

• AS Buzzers – A huge well done to team captain Kathy Miller and the entire AS Buzzers team for walking a total of 26,469,122 steps, coming 1st out of all teams across the globe who took part in WYASO – congratulations!
• NASS Orange Apples – NASS Trustee Gillian Eames and her whole Orange Apples team walked a total of 5,172,927 steps, the 6th highest total out of all the teams who participated, and raised over £400 for NASS! What an achievement! 
  
• NASS PAWs – This small yet powerful team and walkers, led by Gillian Eames in memory of her dog, Rosie, with their four-legged friends, pulled off an incredible 719,033 steps!

Thank you to our amazing team of fundraisers for raising over £4,500 for NASS – enough to support another 450 people with axial SpA to live better with their condition.

Walk Your AS Off 2024 may have finished, but you can log steps all year round to continue raising awareness of axial SpA, where ever you are. Sign up here and join a community of people axial SpA on Facebook by joining either NASS Orange Apples, AS Buzzers or NASS PAWs.

We can’t wait for you to join us for Walk Your AS Off 2025!

Interested in joining next year? Here some FAQs

Do I have to fundraise? What difference would my fundraising make?

No. But every penny you do raise can make a big difference to the lives of people with axial SpA.

• £10 can enable our Helpline team to respond to a call or email and provide guidance and advice to anyone affected by axial SpA.
• £25 could help provide a pack of NASS guidebooks for a local axial SpA clinic.
• £50 could help our team provide 1:1 welfare and benefits support for someone living with axial SpA.
• £100 could help by contributing towards the cost of one of our weekly My AS My Life sessions to help people living with axial SpA manage their symptoms between hospital appointments.
• £250 could help us run an online session to help up to 20 people learn how to manage symptoms of axial SpA, such as extreme pain, severe exhaustion and poor sleep.

Someone gave me cash. What do I do?

If you collect donations in cash using your sponsorship form, you can:  

• Donate via our website. Deposit the money you’ve raised in your bank account and donate online.
  Don’t forget to email fundraising@nass.co.uk after you’ve done this to let us know how you’ve raised the money so that we can thank you properly.   
• Send us a cheque. Please make cheques payable to NASS and send them to:
  Ground Floor, Unit 6, Cambridge Court
  210 Shepherds Bush Road
  London
  W6 7NJ  
• Remember to include a note to let us know it’s from you!  
• Please don’t send cash in the post!  

How can I help raise awareness of axial SpA during Walk Your AS Off?

Here’s how you can help raise awareness of axial SpA during Walk Your AS Off:

• Got a story to tell? Help us to inspire and empower people with axial SpA by sharing your experience with our community. To share your story and why you are taking part in WYASO, email fundraising@nass.co.uk to receive a blog template. Read more inspirational stories written by people with axial SpA.
• Send us the link to your fundraising page along with a photo of yourself in your NASS t-shirt to fundraising@nass.co.uk, and we’ll share it with our followers.
• During May, upload your photos and remind your friends, family and colleagues to sponsor you. Take lots of photos and share on social media using #WYASO as the tag.
  @National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society
  @NASSexercise
  @NASS_exercise

How can I get a NASS t-shirt during my walks?

Once you raise £20, get in touch to get your orange NASS t-shirt! Call us on 020 8741 1515 or email fundraising@nass.co.uk to order your t-shirt. We stock small, medium, large, XL or XXL sizes for men and women – just ask! Sizes are subject to availability.

Do I have to do a certain number of steps every day?

You can do as little or as many steps as you like at any time during May. It’s just about getting active. Whether you walk 50 steps or run 5,000, it all adds up to our collective team step total.

I’m a wheelchair user – can I still join in?

Absolutely! You can convert time spent in your wheelchair, or doing other activities like housework, swimming, cycling or Pilates, into steps too. It can be all converted with our step conversion chart.

I’ve been recently diagnosed with axial SpA. Do you have any advice for walking with axial SpA?

Yes, we’re here to help. Here are our top tips:

1. Wear comfortable shoes. Choose shoes with good grips on the soles so you don’t slip. If you’re walking in the countryside, consider investing in some good walking shoes.
2. Do a few gentle movements to warm you up before setting off.
   Try gently marching on the spot and swinging your arms for one minute to loosen your joints and warm your muscles before heading out.
3. Start gently. If you’ve not been very mobile recently, start with a 10-minute walk, and try to add 5 minutes to your walk each day.
4. Don’t overdo it. Listen to your body and cut back on your walking if you flare. Don’t worry about how fast and how long you walk – just get out there and enjoy the fresh air! Remember, some days you’ll find it easier than others.
5. Get a friend involved. It’s much more fun walking when you can chat. Or think about offering to take a friend or neighbour’s dog for a walk with you. That way you’re combining a good deed with exercise.
6. Use an app, your phone or a pedometer to keep track of how far you’ve walked every day. Seeing how many steps you’ve walked each day can really help with your motivation. If you join the challenge with a friend, you can share your steps. Don’t forget to upload your steps onto the WalkAsOne team page! 
7. Consider trying Nordic Walking. In the UK you can contact Nordic Walking UK and British Nordic Walking. Both have instructors across the UK, and you can join group sessions to learn to walk with poles. Using walking poles can significantly reduce the stress on your joints.
8. Think about your route and the time of day you’re walking.
   If you can only walk in the evenings, you might want to consider wearing a reflective jacket or walking with a friend.  
9. Make sure you have enough water and snacks. If you’re walking a longer distance, make sure you have enough provisions with you.
10. When you get home, do a few gentle stretches to cool down. Check out our ‘Stretches in the kitchen’ video on our YouTube channel, NASSCentral.

Does NASS organise Walk Your AS Off?

No. This year, Walk Your AS Off was organised by the Spondylitis Association of America for the first time. Thank you to Walk As One for all the amazing work they have done since 2015 to mobilise and motivate a global community to raise awareness and address the challenges of those affected by axial Spondyloarthritis and its family of related conditions.

The impact of your support

• £10 can enable our Helpline team to respond to a call or email and provide guidance and advice to anyone affected by axial SpA.
• £25 could help provide a pack of NASS guidebooks for a local axial SpA clinic.
• £50 could help our team provide 1:1 welfare and benefits support for someone living with axial SpA.
• £100 could help by contributing towards the cost of one of our weekly My AS My Life sessions to help people living with axial SpA manage their symptoms between hospital appointments.
• £250 could help us run an online session to help up to 20 people learn how to manage symptoms of axial SpA, such as extreme pain, severe exhaustion and poor sleep.

We urgently need your support

Your support for NASS and people with axial SpA is more critical than ever:

• As the NHS recovers from the pandemic, 67% of people with axial SpA are being left to cope with debilitating pain, exhaustion and fatigue alone.
• The current economic climate has meant that we have seen a reduction in fundraising income.
• With a cost-of-living crisis, more people than ever need support to claim life-changing disability benefits they are entitled to.

Axial SpA works silently. We don’t.

Axial SpA is an inflammatory condition of the spine and joints.  Inflammation where muscles attach to the bones, causes extreme pain. It’s an invisible and often misdiagnosed condition. Often leaving people feeling powerless, in increasing pain and extreme exhaustion. If left untreated, it can permanently fuse bones together.

NASS is the only charity in the UK dedicated to supporting people with axial SpA. NASS doesn’t receive any statutory funding. We rely on your kindness and generosity, and other people like you, to help us transform the diagnosis, treatment and care of people with axial SpA and help more people live well with the condition sooner.