Run 1km, 5km or 10km at Ribbon Run in Manchester on Saturday 10 October 2026

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Tickets

1km Fun Run: £10 
5km: £15.99
10km: £18

Event Village opens: 10am
Race starts:
11am


About Ribbon Run

Ribbon Run is for anyone affected by pregnancy or baby loss. It's for parents, siblings, grandparents and friends. Its for colleagues and health care professionals. It's for those who are always loved and never forgotten.

Because we all know someone who has been affected by pregancy or baby loss. Join us at Ribbon Run Manchester and raise money to help us be there for them. 

Register

Register today and be part of something special. Choose your distance, decide if you want to create a team and enter your details. Once signed up you will receive your Ribbon Run t-shirt pack in the post. 

Fundraise

Your fundraising page will be set up as part of your registration. You can share it with friends and family straight away and start helping Sands save babies' lives. Get a donation within 24 hours and receive pink and blue laces in your t-shirt pack

See you at the start line

See you in Heaton Park at the start line. Complete either 1km, 5km or 10km for Sands during Baby Loss Awareness Week. Finish your run and receive your bespoke Ribbon Run medal. Use code RR20 for 20% off your ticket. *t's and c's apply 

Event Details

Event Distance to choose from

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5km

This could be the perfect distance for you to get back into running, to get a 5k PB or a chance to test out your couch to 5k distance. It's totally up to you and is fully chip timed.

10km

If you've already conquered the 5k or are looking for a slightly longer challenge this Autumn, the 10k distance is perfect for you.

1km Fun Run

This is a 1km route, which is accessible to all. This can be your main event, or it can be something to involve your family in before you take on your 5k or 10k race. The Fun Run takes place at 11am and the 5k/10k distance will start at 11.30 am. So plenty of time for both. Anyone signed up to the 5k or 10k can enter the Fun Run for free. Anyone else who wants to join such as the kids or extra friends and family, it is £10 to sign up.

Route

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The route is a fully accessible 5km loop. This is completed once by those doing the 5km distance and completed twice by those doing the 10km distance. The Fun Run is then a 1km smaller loop which is accessible and open to all ages.

Anyone signed up to the 5k or 10k can take part in the Fun Run with their family for free.

The start/finish line is same for all distances and is in the main event village (what3words ///shut.bits.couches)

What you get once you've signed up

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  • Ribbon Run t-shirt
  • Ribbon Run card of dedication
  • Chip timed 5k and 10k running event
  • Fully marshalled route
  • Water stations
  • Bespoke Ribbon Run medal
  • Opportunity to run alongside like minded people
  • FREE access to the Fun Run if you've signed up to the 5km or 10km distance
  • The chance to win pink and blue laces, and lace tags ahead of race day

Race bib and t-shirt collection

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Race bib and chip collection

You will need to collect your race bib on the morning of the race. The Event village opens at 10am so please allow plenty of time to collect  your race bib.

Everyone taking part in the 5k and 10k race will have a chip and bib. Anyone taking part in the 1k Fun Run, does not have a race bib to collect as that event is not being timed.

The Event village is near Heaton Hall in Heaton Park. The what3words location is here -what3words ///shut.bits.couches

T-shirt collection

Anyone who signs up by 20 September will receive their t-shirt pack in the post. If you sign up afterwards you can collect your t-shirt pack on the day from the registration tent. 

Facilities

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  • There are event toilets available in the event village. There are also toilets at Heaton Hall Café.
  • The meeting point for the event village can be found here in the centre of Heaton Park, infront of Heaton Hall. (what3words ///shut.bits.couches) The route is wheelchair accessible and the Fun Run is suitable for pushchairs. The event village is accessible also.
  • Bag Drop is available for all taking part.
  • Food and drink will be available at the Event Village. 

Event Village 

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  • Manchester Sands United will be there on the day for a kickabout and will be putting on some games on for the whole family to get involved with
  • Our Stockport Sands Group and Manchester Sands group wil be there telling us all about the incredible support groups they offer in the local community. The group's trained bereavement befrienders will also be there to  offer support on the day should anyone need it.
  • Food and drink stands will be there, all supporting Sands on the day too. These include What a Melt and  Milk Blossom
  • Sands Cheer Squad will be there cheering you on round the route. We hope to have some music with us too so make sure you keep your eyes peeled ready to see us. 

Countdown to race day

Where your fundraising goes

Sands works to save babies' lives and ensure that, when a baby does die, anyone affected gets the support and care they need. By taking part in Ribbon Run this year, the money you raise will allow us to continue to fund life saving research. We will be able to continue to run our Sands Support Services which include the Sands Helpline and our Sands support groups across the UK. Because of you we can contiue our mission to be there for anyone affected by baby loss.

FAQs

When is Ribbon Run

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Ribbon Run takes place in Manchester on Saturday 11 October 2025, which is during Baby Loss Awareness Week (9-15 October 2025). There is also the virtual Ribbon Run taking place across the UK on the same day. 

When will my t-shirt arrive? 

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Every one who registers for Ribbon Run will receive a FREE Ribbon Run t-shirt pack. Packs will be sent out from July. Please allow up to 10 working days for this to arrive. Please register by 26 September for delivery before the challenge.

Registrations are open right up until Friday 11 October. However, anyone who registers after 26th September won't receive a t-shirt in time. You can however collect this on the day from the Event Village when you collect your race bib and chip. 

What do I get when I've signed up? 

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  • Ribbon Run t-shirt
  • Ribbon Run card of dedication
  • LED candle for the Global Wave of Light
  • Chip timed 5k and 10k running event
  • Fully marshalled route
  • Water stations
  • Bespoke Ribbon Run medal
  • Opportunity to run alongside like minded people
  • FREE access to the Fun Run if you've signed up to the 5km or 10km distance
  • The chance to win pink and blue laces, and lace tags ahead of race day

Baby Loss Awareness Week

Baby Loss Awareness Week (9 - 15 October) is a time for everyone in the baby loss community and beyond to come together, to remember our much-loved and missed babies, and raise awareness of pregnancy and baby loss. Join other families across the world by lighting a candle at 7pm on Wednesday15 October, the final day of Baby Loss Awarness Week, to remember all the babies' lives gone too soon.

We’re thrilled to welcome Softcat as our Ribbon Run Partner for the first time this year! Their support means so much to us, and we’re excited to see how their teams embrace the challenge as they take on Ribbon Run across their offices during Baby Loss Awareness Week (9–15 October).

Fundraising Checklist

If your fundraising page receives a donation within 24 hours of signing up, you will receive pink and blue laces in your T-shirt pack. 

Update your fundraising page with a profile picture and reason for supporting Sands.

Share your fundraising page in your whatsapp groups. One share could be worth up to £550.

£20 could provide a family with a memory box. Tell your friends and family what the money they're donating means to Sands and bereaved families across the UK.

Share your online fundraising page on your social media. 

Post updates online of your Ribbon Run. Share your post run seflie or create your own POV video of how it felt to complete your Ribbon Run. All alongisde your fundraising page link.