Newcastle University Mechanical Engineering Football Club:
Mech-Eng FC have led the charge in furthering awareness for men’s mental health and prostate cancer support by organising a plethora of activities to raise funds for the cause, including players growing moustaches and committing to a fitness goal of running over 60 kilometres across the month of November, while also organising a car boot and bake sale to to generate strong community engagement and enthusiasm.
Perhaps the most impressive of Mech-Eng’s activities this Movember is their 24 hour overnight walk from Brampton in Cumbria, to Bar Blanc in Jesmond. With the 90 kilometre trek taking place over demanding terrain, players and volunteers alike followed sections of Hadrian’s Wall and endured punishing conditions such as thick mud, bitter snow and steep climbs of over 1,500 metres of elevation, before arriving at Bar Blanc at midday on the 23rd of November.
All together Mech-Eng have already raised more than £8,000 for men’s health, but their dedication doesn’t end there with another 24 hour marathon - this time in collaboration with the Newcastle University Business School (NUBS) Netball team - where they managed to raise nearly £10,000.
NCL Raiders American Football:
With club secretary Henry Jones admitting that the Raiders ‘hadn’t done anywhere as near as much as we should have in previous years in terms of ways to raise funds for Movember’, the club has sought a comedic yet effective approach towards raising funds for the charity this year.
With ‘nipple piercings, a 5 kilometre run in boxers and fake tans’ all acting as ways to raise money for this incredible charity, the Raiders have contributed £2,000 this year, smashing their previous total of around £250 in previous years.
Jones further highlights the importance of Movember to the Raiders personally, commenting that ‘in a sport where physical injuries happen all the time, the mental side is often ignored. We wanted to use this month to shine a spotlight on something that’s usually overlooked.’
NCL Kings Dodgeball Club:
The University’s dodgeball team certainly haven’t dodged away from raising money for men’s physical and mental health, with the Kings having raised over £400 from growing moustaches, donations to MoSpace, and by organising a dodgeball tournament involving other societies and members of the public.
While the club aim to surpass their total of £686 from last year, they have recognised the difficulties in reaching such a figure this year due to the change in university sports hall policies, considerably affecting hire fees for all on site events, including one for charity.
While remedying this by moving this year's edition of the annual tournament to a nearby school, the club were able to keep the event accessible and as part of the community, with costumes and stuck on moustaches adorning the event proving that recent challenges have done nothing to dim the club’s support for Movember.
Newcastle University Men's Hockey Club:
In addition, the university Hockey club has focused on a combination of daily challenges to raise awareness of men’s physical and mental health, rather than a singular encompassing event. Walter Forsey and Oliver Macnicol-Graham have paired up to run 6 kilometres each day - totalling 12km - in a bid to raise awareness to the 12 men who take their lives every day in the UK, with suicide being the biggest killer of men under 50. Likewise, Harry Vincent has been taking daily ice baths whilst interviewing members of different societies to engage in open and frank conversations about men’s mental health, and the importance of reaching out to someone when in need.
Vincent further commented on the appeal Movember has to the Hockey club’s members, referencing the mindset of toughness, resilience, and constantly being ‘fine’ that performance level sport can manifest, and the hardship it creates to acknowledge when you are struggling and need help.
By the end of Movember, the club raised an amazing £4,066.
Movember’s Response:
Movember themselves have also commented on the success of Newcastle’s student community in raising funds for the charity and men’s physical and mental health:
‘This year we have already surpassed last year's total money raised, and we are on target to raise £50,000 for Movember. An immense effort from each society, through charity matches, tournaments, walks, runs, quiz’s, forfeits and fundraising goals have resulted in our most successful year to date and we are so proud of how Newcastle University have come together.’
This year we have already surpassed last year's total money raised, and we are on target to raise £50,000 for Movember.
With the total raised for Movember being £55,115, the whole student community should be extremely proud of themselves for their hard work in raising awareness and funding across a variety of creative and demanding activities!