IICF UK Step Up Challenge 2026 Raises Nearly £50,000

The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) UK is celebrating another record-breaking year for its International Step Up Challenge, with more than 1,000 participants coming together to raise vital funds for children in need while promoting wellness, teamwork and friendly competition.

Now in its sixth year, the 2026 IICF Step Up Challenge took place from 20 April to 17 May, bringing together employees, colleagues, friends, family members and clients from across the globe to get active for a good cause.

This year, IICF UK recorded its strongest participation yet, with 1,008 participants from 18 countries taking part and raising an impressive £48,000 in support of IICF’s Creating Better Futures Campaign. Since the challenge launched, IICF UK participants have collectively raised more than £135,000 and engaged nearly 4,000 participants, demonstrating the growing commitment of the insurance community to making a meaningful difference.

The challenge encourages participants to increase their daily activity levels while competing as individuals and teams to achieve the highest step counts. As an added incentive, winning individuals and teams are given the opportunity to designate an IICF grant to the charity of their choice.

A special thank you goes to Sompo, the Presenting Sponsor of the 2026 challenge, for its continued support and commitment to helping create better futures for children and communities. Among the many standout contributors this year was Vitesse, whose 38 colleagues took on the Three Peaks Challenge as part of their fundraising efforts. Together, they raised more than £14,000, a remarkable achievement.

Strong participation was also seen from Weightmans, Chubb and Lloyd’s, whose employees joined colleagues across the UK and internationally in stepping up for charity. IICF extends its sincere gratitude to every individual and organisation that helped make this year’s challenge such a success.

Proceeds from this year’s Step Up Challenge will benefit charities giving the gift of books and inspiring children to read and gain confidence at school. Every £10,000 raised by Step Up participants could fund:

• 100 online, five-hour reading sessions for children
• 1,800 books for underfunded schools
• The equivalent of filling 18 library shelves with books

We thank everyone who has helped to create better futures for children in our community.

Creating Lasting Impact Through Literacy

Funds raised through the Step Up Challenge will support IICF’s Creating Better Futures Campaign, which funds charitable projects focused on closing the literacy gap among children and young people.

The need for support is significant. More than 750,000 children in the UK do not own a single book, and one in four children leave primary school unable to read well. Through partnerships with literacy-focused charities, the campaign is helping to improve educational outcomes and create brighter futures.

These initiatives provide tangible and lasting benefits for children in local communities, helping to develop confidence, improve literacy skills and inspire a lifelong love of reading.

As one child participating in Chapter One’s reading programme explained:

“Reading is fun and exciting. I’m happy because if you don’t read books, you don’t know everything. But if you read books, they will make your mind big.”

Thanks to the incredible efforts of participants, sponsors and supporters, the 2026 IICF International Step Up Challenge has once again demonstrated the power of the insurance industry to come together, get active and create meaningful change for children and communities around the world.

Read more about our Creating Better Futures Campaign