Movember @ IH Bristol

Some of our staff at International House Bristol have chosen to support the Movember charity this winter. As a school we always committed to supporting courses affecting our community and this is another extension of it. Leander, Sarah and David have set a financial goal to coincide with their goal of running 180km over November collectively. Please have a read below Leander's blog about what it is and why they've chosen to take part.

Forget about the moustache for a minute. In the UK, 4 out of 5 suicides are male. Globally, 60 of them happen every hour. And that's before you get to other threats, like prostate cancer and homelessness. Far too many men are dying far too young. Movember is pretty well-known in the UK, but I can't help but think that people get a bit fixated on the facial hair, the idea of all these blokes walking around with a bit more stubble above their lip than usual. It comes across a bit silly; perhaps even funny. But there is a worryingly large group of men whose current reality is far from humorous.

Last year, I decided to do a little research into Movember. I discovered that one of their challenges they were setting people for the month of November, alongside growing a moustache, was running a total of 60 kilometres (fortunately, not all in one go). As an already keen runner, I thought this challenge made most sense for me, so I gave it a crack. I started a little late, but I got over the line on November 28th, 60 kilometres completed with about £400 in total donations, for which Movember were kind of enough to send me a pair of novelty socks in the post. 

This November, I am doing the same again, except I am joined by my two colleagues and friends, Saz and David. Two more people means 120 more kilometres, taking our collective target up to 180 for the month. Between us, we feel up to the challenge, but only with your help.

And I don’t just mean donations. We don't want people to tap their card and instantly forget about it. These problems are not going anywhere. If you are happy to give just £5, perhaps even £10, then of course we will accept it gladly, and thank you for it. But beyond that, we are just asking for your attention, a commitment to keeping in mind the challenges that so many men are facing today.

And of course, sometimes we can't help but notice when a mate is having a bad day. They're looking at the floor, living within themselves. Often we don't do anything - it'll go away, it's just one of those days, no need to make a big thing of it. It's  harder to risk that little bit of vulnerability to take them aside and ask them, kindly, how they’re feeling, and if they’d like to talk about it. Harder, and more valuable. More valuable than £5, for instance. 

Use the QR code above to checkout the team's progress and donate!