Dechox is a nationwide sponsored challenge to give up chocolate for the month of October. Anything with cocoa in it is off limits for 31 days. But it’ll all be worth it, because every pound that your friends, family and colleagues donate will go towards pioneering research into heart and circulatory diseases.

The Dechox challenge runs from 1 October 2020 to 31 October 2020.

No it is free to sign up to Dechox; however you’re encouraged to raise funds by asking your friends and family to sponsor you.

If you take part in Dechox during October there will be lots of tips and support available on our website and over email. You’re welcome to do Dechox in whatever month you like, you just won’t be able to sign up via the Dechox website. You can still fundraise and pay in your donations online, just be sure to select ‘Dechox 2020’ under ‘event’

You need to be at least 18 to sign up for Dechox, but remember you can also take part with the whole family.

You are allowed to eat sweets during Dechox but try not to simply replace your chocolate fix with them. We have loads of great choc-free treats and recipe ideas on our Surviving Dechox page here.

For any health or nutrition-related questions regarding your Dechox, please contact the team on dechox@bhf.org.uk.

You’ll be sent a welcome email following sign up with everything you need to prepare for your Dechox. We’ll also send you regular emails throughout the challenge full of inspiration, motivation and fundraising tips and tools. We have free fundraising tools available for download directly from our website here, as well as survival tools such as choc-free recipes and tips on cracking chocolate cravings here.

As Dechox is about raising money for our life saving research, we encourage everyone taking part to spread the word and collect sponsorship from friends and family. We’ll give you all the free tips and tools you need to get those donations rolling in!

No, there is no minimum fundraising amount, but the more you raise, the more research we can fund. So aim high and make every time you so ‘no’ to cocoa really count!

If you’d prefer to fundraise offline, that’s great too. Just give us a ring and you can pay in your sponsorship money over the phone using your debit or credit card by calling 0300 330 3322. We're here to help, Monday - Friday, 09:00 - 17:00.

Yes of course – this event is for anyone who wants the challenge of giving up chocolate, you can take part solo or with friends and family. Once you’ve completed your registration, you can create or join a team. When you are setting up a team, you’ll need to choose a team name and fundraising total. Then get your friends and family to register too, and join the team using the team name you created. This will mean all your fundraising pages are pulled together on the fundraising leaderboard.

If you raise between £75 - £149 we’ll send you one of our edible chocolate medals. 

If you raise £150+ we’ll send you a superstar metal medal for keeps.

Please note you have enough until midnight on the 10th November 2020 to pay in all your fundraising to be eligible for a prize. 

Thanks to the amazing efforts of our supporters, last year we raised more than £158 million. £120 million was spent on life-saving research and support for heart patients. £38 million was spent on the costs associated with generating income. In other words, for every £1 raised, around 76p, went straight to funding research on heart and circulatory diseases, and the risk factors that cause them.

Absolutely – our customer service team can answer queries about Dechox or anything else about the British Heart Foundation. You can call them on 0300 330 3322 or email heretohelp@bhf.org.uk. We're here to help, Monday - Friday, 09:00 - 17:00.