MedChir RFC and The Tash Dash raised the most in the team and individual categories, respectively.
The University of Glasgow has raised an astonishing £49,726 for Movember through donations raised by a variety of teams and individuals. The group who raised the greatest of all the teams was MedChir RFC, finishing the month with the enormous sum of £8,835 fundraised.
Fundraising for Movember has become an annual tradition at the rugby club, and they told The Glasgow Guardian: “Everyone involved with MedChir RFC is really proud and happy to have raised the most out of the clubs at Glasgow University. It is for a really great cause, which is very close to our hearts, and we’re already looking forward to growing some dodgy facial hair and raising even more money next year. Thanks again to everyone who donated.”
The Tash Dash raised a whopping £5,235 making them the winners in the “individual” category. Running 100km from Scotstoun to Murrayfield, the boys left at 2am on the morning of Saturday 28 November, and got to the capital at approximately 4pm, their run taking 14 hours in all, due to energy breaks and some painful cramping. Speaking to runABC Scotland, Rory Anderson said: “It was really mind over matter for the last miles.” He said, “The plan was still that no matter what, we’d stick together. There was no doubt in my mind that we would finish.”
Second in the “team” category was Glasgow University RFC, who beat their target of £5,000 by £742.69; third was Glasgow University SRC with £3,637.53, with President Liam Brady raising £1,215 himself. On his personal Movember page, he explained that “this year, Movember is a bit more personal for me” due to prostate cancer sadly having affected two of his own close family relatives.
The heartfelt descriptions from those who were talking part, whether as individuals or as part of a team, are evidence of just how much Movember is making an impact in peoples’ lives. This, combined with the hundreds of messages of support from friends and family left across these pages, demonstrates how important raising awareness of both the physical problems affecting males, such as prostate and testicular cancer, as well as continuing to bring the mental health aspect into the limelight.
From three participants in 2003 to over 6.6 million in 2020, Movember has helped fund major health projects across the world, ranging from men’s mental health and suicide prevention to groundbreaking testicular and prostate cancer research studies. Its website is host to a huge amount of information and resources on the progress that is being made in these areas and is a valuable place to look to find out more.
