The Big Bang Abseil Manchester welcomes 20 charities in 2026
- Alice Inskip
- 5 days ago
- 9 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Twenty charities, hundreds of fundraisers and an estimated £50,000+ raised for good causes across one weekend in Manchester.
At the end of June, our fourth annual Big Bang Abseil returned to Trafford Palazzo, bringing charities and their supporters together to take on a 170ft fundraising challenge.
So far, 14 of the 20 charities involved have shared their results with us, accounting for close to £41,000 in confirmed fundraising. With six organisations still to report their final totals, we estimate that the event will have generated more than £50,000 for charity overall.
Behind those numbers are hundreds of individual fundraisers, stepping over the edge for a cause that matters to them. From local charities to national organisations, the weekend showed what can be achieved when multiple causes share one professionally delivered fundraising event.
Here’s what some of the charities involved achieved – and what they had to say about their experience.
Big Bang Abseil Manchester 2026: The Results
Click on the drop-down's below to hear more from these organisations.
Stockport Homes raised £6,000 for the Milly-Rose Stirrup Foundation
Stockport Homes is a public-private sector partnership dedicated to improving housing and communities across the Stockport Borough. This year, their team was raising funds in support of the Milly-Rose Stirrup Foundation, a charity supporting families experiencing parental bereavement.
A team of 18 abseilers took on the challenge, raising £6,000 between them!
Martyn Preston, Colleague Experience Manager at Stockport Homes, shared his experience:
“The Trafford Palazzo Abseil was an unforgettable experience. From start to finish, the team made everyone feel safe, supported and encouraged. Seeing 18 colleagues step over the edge to raise around £6,000 for the Milly Rose Stirrup Foundation was something really special.
It was a fantastic day, and we're incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make it such a success. Thanks again for all your support. We really enjoyed working with you and hope to be back again in the future!”
Barnabus raised £760 from just two supporters
Barnabus had two abseilers take part, raising £760 in aid of people experiencing homelessness in and around Manchester.
Their sponsorship will support Barnabus’ services, which provide practical help including food, clothing and healthcare, alongside advice and support to help people move towards secure accommodation.
Phil Harris, Head of Fundraising at Barnabus, commented:
"The team couldn't have been more helpful in the lead-up to the event, and on the day, our fundraisers really enjoyed the descent. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a well-organised event with a genuinely supportive team."
Francis House Children's Hospice generated close to £7,000 from the event
Francis House Children’s Hospice provides specialist care and support for children and young adults with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions, as well as their families, across Greater Manchester and the surrounding areas.
Between 23 supporters on the day, an impressive £7,000+ was raised!
The charity passed on this feedback from those who took part:
“All the feedback was positive. They loved the experience, although some admitted they were quite nervous beforehand but this added to the buzz of accomplishment afterwards!”
Patrick Storey, Fundraising Officer at Francis House, also commented:
“We’re delighted that our annual Trafford Palazzo Abseil raised an amazing £7,000 this year! Huge thanks to all our brave supporters who raised these funds to help support the children and families who rely on Francis House. Thank you also to Big Bang for their fantastic support.”
Three Wishes Charity took part for the first time and raised £1,400
Three Wishes supports patients, families and staff across Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals, funding projects, equipment and initiatives that go beyond what NHS funding can provide.
This was their first year taking part in the Big Bang Abseil Manchester, with two participants raising a fantastic £1,400! Considering this was their first experience of challenge-based fundraising, it was a brilliant result and a strong introduction to this type of event.
Charity Manager Emily Mundon passed on the following:
“We'd love to work with Big Bang Experiences again in the future and explore ways to encourage more people from our community to get involved and sign up.”
Planning a hospital fundraising event?
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Mustard Tree returned to Trafford Palazzo, raising £1,800
Manchester-based charity Mustard Tree works to combat poverty and prevent homelessness across Greater Manchester. They provide practical support, training and opportunities to help people build greater stability and independence.
The abseil raised £1,800 for the charity, with Fundraising Officer Rachel Crank passing on:
“We raised £1,800 through the Abseil – the participants had a really fun (and challenging) time! It’s become a flagship event for Mustard Tree and we look forward to it every year 😊”
Camp Simcha were able to raise £7,000 from the abseil
Camp Simcha supports children and families across the UK living with serious childhood illness, providing practical, emotional and therapeutic support to help families through some of their most challenging times.
A large group took part in the abseil, with many returning for their third time at the event. Together, they were pleased to raise nearly £7,000.
The charity organisers also reported that their abseilers really enjoyed the experience.
Oasis UK raised £1,374 between 7 abseilers
Oasis Charity supports people affected by domestic abuse across Kent and Medway, providing safe accommodation, specialist support and practical help to adults and children as they rebuild their lives.
Seven abseilers attended the event at Trafford Palazzo, raising £1,374 for the charity.
We heard the following about their experience:
“They really enjoyed it – it was all done really quickly, which was especially good for the nervous ones. The day went really smoothly – was simple to register, thorough briefings. No complaints or concerns from anyone involved.”
Diana Steel from Oasis UK also passed on her thoughts:
“The day went really smoothly – the team on the ground and all the way up to the top were great and really supportive. We had a mix of abseiling experience but everyone completed the challenge and felt very proud when they got back on solid ground. Thanks for letting us be a part of the day.”
Simple to add to the fundraising calendar
With Big Bang handling the technical and operational delivery, charities could focus their time on recruiting supporters and fundraising, without the workload of organising their own event.
Learn more about The Big Bang Abseil.
Muscular Dystrophy raised £2,146 from just two supporters
Muscular Dystrophy UK is a leading UK charity supporting people living with muscle-wasting and weakening conditions, funding research into treatments and cures while providing practical information, advice and support.
Two supporters took part at Trafford Palazzo, both achieving fantastic fundraising results.
The first abseiler took part in support of his fiancée, who lives with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2, and raised £1,030.
Their second abseiler chose to fundraise because his best friend and two family members are living with Becker Muscular Dystrophy, raising £1,116.
Generating £2,146 from just two supporters demonstrates the fundraising potential of height-based challenges. We were also pleased to hear this feedback from one of those taking part:
"It was very scary, but it was an amazing experience and I’m so happy I raised that much money to go towards an amazing cause."
Child Bereavement UK raised over £1,000 at Trafford Palazzo
Child Bereavement UK supports children, young people, parents and families when a child grieves or when a child dies, providing specialist bereavement support, information and guidance across the UK.
A group of six took on the challenge and have raised over £1,000 so far, a result the charity is really pleased with.
Sebastian Farrell, one of the organisers at the charity, shared the following feedback:
“From our perspective, the event went really well. The staff were fantastic throughout, our families all had a great time, and everyone found the location easily enough. The team on the day were incredibly friendly and helpful, which made for a really positive experience.”
Little Green Sock estimates a couple of thousand pounds in support from the abseil
Little Green Sock Project is a children’s clothing charity supporting families experiencing financial hardship across Trafford and Greater Manchester, providing good-quality pre-loved clothing while helping reduce textile waste.
Two companies took part in the abseil on behalf of the charity. With other fundraising activities running alongside the challenge, it has been difficult to establish an exact figure, but Little Green Sock estimates that a couple of thousand pounds has been raised through the abseil!
Sophie Bell from Little Green Sock shared:
“Our abseilers were amazing and had a great time. It was a super event, the Big Bang team are so supportive with people taking on such a challenge! We will definitely be getting involved again in 2027 – hopefully with an even bigger team!”
North West Ambulance Charity raised £3,000+ from their second abseil event
North West Ambulance Service Charity supports the work of the ambulance service across the North West, funding projects, equipment and initiatives that enhance patient care and support the wellbeing of NWAS staff and volunteers.
Their group of 14 supporters generated a wonderful £3094 in fundraising. The funds will contribute towards the charity’s overall aim of saving lives by supporting frontline colleagues within the North West Ambulance Service and the communities they serve.
Fundraising Manager Roya Armstrong reflected on their second year at the event:
“We all had a great time at our 2nd Trafford Palazzo Abseil raising funds for the North West Ambulance Charity. Big thanks to Jon, yourself and all the team for providing the best reassurance and guidance to our participants. Our team did a fantastic job at the abseil itself and did themselves and us so very proud.”
Springhill Hospice's five supporters raised £2,341
Springhill Hospice provides specialist palliative and end-of-life care for people with life-limiting illnesses across Rochdale, Heywood and Middleton, supporting both patients and their loved ones at the hospice and in their own homes.
Between five enthusiastic abseilers, £2431 was raised from the event. All of the fundraisers said they really enjoyed the day, with the challenge giving them something memorable to cross off their bucket lists.
The organisers also reported that the event ran really smoothly and that all of their fundraisers enjoyed themselves.
Once Upon A Smile's top fundraiser raised £2,940!
Once Upon a Smile provides emotional and practical support to bereaved families following the death of a parent, child or sibling, offering specialist services to help children and families through their grief.
A corporate group took part in support of the charity, with one colleague alone raising an incredible £2,940!
Dave Jennings, who led the group, reflected on the experience:
“The actual on site experience on both days was fantastic. The organisational process of checking in and then being fitted with the harnesses was excellent. The journey to the steps to the top also not a problem. The staff at the top were clear in their communication as to what to do and when and there were never any concerns about the safety of the operation as everyone had their role and worked together.
Having had a first refusal once I crossed the lip, the lad working with me was excellent talking me through and doing exercises in trying to get me prepared for a second attempt. This ultimately was also unsuccessful, but I did not feel any shame as the staff were so accommodating and made me feel a lot better for having taken the decision.”
Charlotte Brown from Once Upon A Smile also shared:
“I received positive feedback from everyone who undertook the challenge based on similar experiences to those above. Then organisation and encouragement from the team was especially welcomed.”
SAS Daniels Solicitors supported Contact Hostels at Manchester's Big Bang Abseil
SAS Daniels Solicitors raised £1,700 for their 2026 Charity of the Year, Contact, a Manchester charity providing safe accommodation and practical, ongoing support to young women experiencing homelessness, helping them move towards more stable and independent futures.
The cause had a particularly personal connection for the team, as one colleague, Shanae, lived at the hostel when she was younger.
Hannah Shaw, Events & Business Development Executive at SAS Daniels, shared the following on behalf of their participants:
“Overall, those who took part in the abseil really enjoyed it. The team were great in making everyone feel at ease and ensuring everyone was comfortable and understood the instructions before they began. We had one who was unable to complete the abseil and the team were very understanding, did what they could to encourage her to try again but didn’t push her too hard.”
We were also hugely pleased to receive the following feedback from the wider SAS Daniels team:
“Thank you to all at Big Bang Experiences for coordinating the abseil. As a group, we felt completely supported by the team and had great confidence in their ability to keep us safe! We had great fun whilst raising an incredible amount for our wonderful charity of the year, Contact Hostel.”
Ready to take on the challenge in 2027?
A huge congratulations to everyone who took part in the 2026 Big Bang Abseil Manchester and helped raise such fantastic amounts for charities and causes across the UK.
If your charity would like to get involved next year, we’ve recently launched our 2027 dates - 25th, 26th and 27th June. From a handful of supporters or a larger team, the abseil offers a simple, ready-made way to add something different to your fundraising calendar.
Get in touch with our team to find out more and reserve your places for 2027.
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