Many people might already know that in November lots of men grow moustaches for charity and call it Movember – but should everyone be paying more attention?
Movember began in 2003 to raise funds for men’s health focussing on mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.
What started as asking men to grow a tash has now evolved into welcoming ‘Mo Bros’ and ‘Mo Sisters’ to get involved in their campaign for men’s health.
The campaign has supported more than 1,250 men’s health projects around the world as they believe “men are dying too young and we can’t afford to stay silent.”
One man who has taken part in Movember for the last 12 years is Fraser Marsden Tyler who spoke to Mancunian Matters about why he keeps campaigning.
Fraser said: “Part of the Movember campaign is getting people to speak. It gives people a good opportunity by getting involved to confront certain things which might not be so easy.”
He also described the sense of camaraderie he feels every November, starting in his university years when he first decided to grow a tash.
Now taking on the additional challenge of ‘Moving for Movember’ Fraser is attempting to beat his record of running 200km in 30 days.
‘Moving for Movember’ encourages men and women to move 60km to represent the 60 men who die globally every hour – that’s one man lost every minute.
Over the years Fraser has raised more than £10,000 for the Movember campaign and the men it supports.
He has also raised funds for the charity BacZac which was set up in memory of a university friend, Zac, who was diagnosed with two rare forms of cancer and sadly passed away.
Talking to Fraser about how the campaign has changed over the years he spoke about Movember’s efforts to include women and what women can do to support.
He said: “The important thing to think about is it’s an opportunity to try and put your feet in the shoes of someone you wouldn’t typically.
“It’s important to read up on the effects that a diagnosis can have on someone for example. When people think of someone having fertility issues they tend to think of women so it’s just about looking at things from a different perspective.
And on the topic of mental health, “The mental health element transcends gender, sex, everything. Movember is an opportunity for anybody to take a minute and think about those things.”
The statistics show that more work needs to be done with men dying on average four years earlier than women.
And with men accounting for 69% of all suicides – this is something that needs everyone’s attention.
To learn more about Movember visit: https://uk.movember.com
If you or someone you know is struggling visit: https://www.samaritans.org/
Featured image: Karen Laårk Boshoff
