Colleagues and students fundraise in aid of Movember!

This November, our BGU community joined the annual, national event of Movember – the growing of moustaches in aid of men’s health.

Staff and students from across the institution came together to generate vital awareness and raise life changing donations for aspects of men’s health including mental health, prostate cancer, and testicular cancer.

Adam Foxon, Senior Lecturer on our Foundation Year programme, shared why awareness opportunities like this are important: “I don’t believe there is enough awareness around the importance of this pervasive area of people’s lives.

“When I pitched the idea to some colleagues and students, many jumped at the chance to get involved, because these kinds of issues are universal across society.”

Colleagues from both our Foundation Year and Theology and Ethics programmes fundraised for the cause, alongside students from a variety of subject disciplines.

In particular, our Students’ Union (SU) President, Max Gordon, alongside undergraduate student Cas Jarrold, created the idea of mo-ments, described as events hosted in aid of the cause throughout November.

One of the main mo-ments throughout the month was an exercise bike and rowing machine fundraiser hosted at the Robert Hardy Building. The event was a resounding success, only made possible by the generous individuals who took part.

The final event of the month saw a gig take place on Friday 29^th November at the BGSU bar. The evening saw a performance from a local band alongside the attendance of local artists, bakers and creatives selling a variety of items, all in aid of men’s health.

Adam shared a reflection on the teams’ achievements over the last month: “It’s been a truly unforgettable inaugural year being the team captain of our Movember campaign.

“It’s been busy at this time of year with deadlines for staff and students, but everybody pulled together brilliantly, and I truly believe we have raised some awareness about the need for conversations surrounding mental health.

“Next year will undoubtedly be even bigger and better”.

The contributing staff, students and members of the BGU community raised a staggering £635 before the gig, which was propelled to a final total of over £1200 by the end of November, with cash donations still yet to be counted. A huge well done to everyone involved!

If you’d like to donate to this fantastic cause, please click here.