Conditions for Blocktober activities

Taking part with care and respect

Blocktober is a voluntary community initiative. These conditions apply to organised Blocktober walks, runs, rides and swims, and to participation recorded through the Blocktober roster.

These conditions are intended to help Blocktober activities remain safe, respectful and practical. Blocktober depends on people looking out for one another, exercising reasonable judgement and helping to create the solidarity and connection at the heart of the movement. They do not replace ordinary common sense.

By adding your name to an organised activity on the roster, or by taking part in an organised Blocktober activity, you confirm that you have read and accept these conditions. A group organiser who adds a group to the roster confirms that these conditions will be made known to the people participating with that group.

Participate within your abilities

Please take part only if you are reasonably satisfied that you are fit and well enough for the activity you have chosen. Bring appropriate clothing, footwear or equipment, water and anything else you reasonably need for the activity.

If you have a health or fitness concern that may affect your participation, use your own judgement and, where appropriate, seek medical advice before taking part.

Outdoor activities and safety

Walking, running, cycling and swimming involve the ordinary risks associated with outdoor physical activity. These may include changing weather, uneven or slippery surfaces, traffic, mountain conditions and, for swimming, conditions in and around the water.

Blocktober organisers and Activity Leads will take reasonable care in planning and coordinating organised activities, but they cannot remove all of these risks or provide professional guiding, medical or rescue services. Participants remain responsible for exercising reasonable judgement about their own safety and circumstances.

For Table Mountain activities in particular, participants are encouraged to stay with the group. One of the reasons for using the roster is to help people participate together rather than unnecessarily walking alone. This reflects the practical group-safety approach used in previous Blocktober activities.

Follow the activity arrangements

Please follow reasonable directions from the Activity Lead about the route, pace, regrouping, weather or safety changes and the conduct of the activity.

Routes, times or activities may be changed or cancelled if circumstances require it. If you decide to leave an organised group or turn back, please tell the Activity Lead or another designated person so that the group knows you are no longer with them. If you need assistance to turn back, please tell them and they will try to arrange appropriate support.

Participants must also comply with applicable rules of the place where the activity takes place and with lawful instructions from park, land or facility authorities. The regulations applicable to national parks, for example, require visitors to act safely and comply with management rules and lawful instructions.

Respect for others

Blocktober is intended to be a welcoming and respectful space. Please treat other participants with consideration and respect.

Particular care should be taken to respect the dignity and privacy of survivors of gender-based violence. Nobody should be pressured to discuss personal experiences, and personal stories or identifying information should not be shared further without that person’s consent.

Photographs and social media

Photographs are part of the way Blocktober records and shares the month, but privacy must be respected.

For solidarity activities involving survivors, Blocktober’s general practice is not to share identifiable photographs: pictures are usually taken from behind or framed so that individuals cannot be recognised. For other Blocktober activities, identifiable photographs may be shared, but please make sure that those pictured are comfortable with this, and respect any request not to be photographed or not to have a photograph shared.

Roster information and privacy

The roster is used for activity coordination, group safety and Blocktober participation statistics.

You may use a nickname or alias if you prefer. Please use the same name or alias consistently so that the roster can support roll-call and group safety, and so that participation can be tracked reasonably accurately to show Blocktober’s reach and impact.

Information recorded in the roster may also be used to produce anonymous Blocktober statistics, such as participation levels, active days, distance and time, to help assess and communicate Blocktober’s reach and impact. Personal information should not be copied or used for unrelated purposes.

Children and young participants

A participant under 18 should normally take part with a parent, guardian or other responsible adult, unless different arrangements have been made for a particular organised group.

If circumstances change

An Activity Lead may change, shorten or cancel an organised activity if conditions make that sensible. An Activity Lead may also ask a participant to stop or turn back if there is a reasonable safety concern.

In an emergency, everyone should prioritise immediate safety and obtain appropriate emergency assistance rather than relying on Blocktober organisers or Activity Leads to provide a rescue or medical service.