While Movember is traditionally known for men shaving their face completely at the start of the month and attempting to grow a (sometimes a bit questionable) Mo’, there is so much more to the fundraising event. There are several causes that Movember raises awareness of, suicide, prostate and testicular cancer and men’s health generally.
In the UK, men die 3.5 years younger than women which can be due to many reasons including a lower level of health, not speaking up and seeking advice for health issues and not sharing how they feel. In England and Wales, suicide is the leading cause of death among men aged 20-34. Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men in the UK, while testicular cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in young men in the UK.
Several years ago the Movember Foundation realised the importance of physical activity to improve men’s health. As you know, we’re all about mental and physical health and we know how important physical activity is to improve overall health. That’s why we introduced MOVE for MOVEmber this year. We wanted you to commit to moving 60km throughout Movember to highlight the 60 men lost every hour globally to suicide. With the help of our UOP Fitness app, you could track your moves and distance. At the end of the month, the top 3 Movers received a Ravelin Sports Centre stash pack with UOP-branded goodies.
Our Sports Clubs got involved from the start and raised an incredible £17,496! This year’s fundraising leaders are Men’s Football, who raised an amazing £1,477. All clubs together MOVEd unbelievable 26,840km - more than the distance from Portsmouth to South Africa and back again!
Movember Totals |
Fundraising Leaders |
Move Leaders |
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£17,496
26,840 km |
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Oddballs
As part of the Movember month, we hosted the Oddballs football tournament on our brand-new 3G pitch in our Outdoor facility at Langstone Sports Site. This 9-a-side league saw 10 teams play to be the number one. And after a great and fair game between all 10 teams, this year’s number-one team was ‘Futsal Fetish’, with ‘2 Goals 1 Schlupp’ in second place and ‘Internazionale Club de Portsmouth Tennis (P)’ in third place. We were able to raise over £300 for Oddballs Foundation which raises awareness of Testicular cancer.
Final Positions |
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1st - Futsal Fetish 2nd - 2 Goals 1 Schlupp 3rd - Internazionale Club de Portsmouth Tennis (P) 4th - FC Nitwipes |