Meet the guys doing Movember in Leeds

November is drawing to a close and regrettably that means so is Movember – the annual event which sees men across the world grow moustaches to raise money for charity.

But before we get to mourning those magnificent taches, soon to be savagely shaven off and discarded to the (bathroom) dustbins of history, lets take a moment to savour the best attempt at facial follicular fur that Leeds has to offer.

And remember kids, there’s still time to donate!

1. Ben Steinert & Lawrence Aspin 

How many of you are there?

Two of us who are housemates. At first, we aimed to raise £100 but we’ve upped that and hit £250. Big thanks to Leeds University Lacrosse club for helping us with the fundraising.

What made you decide to do it?

Ben: This is the first year I thought I could actually grow a tache.

Lawrence: We thought we could do a bit of good, and raise a fair bit of money for minimal work.

Has it been difficult at all?

Ben: I get told I look like a paedophile on a daily basis. I think it has actually put people off. My mum still says I’m handsome, though.

Lawrence: A lot of people have actually told me to keep it. It would be a bit of a commitment. I have cut myself shaving my cheeks.

Ben: Lawrence’s is actually quite good. Mine is patchy at best.

Lawrence: Yours looks good.

Who do you reckon has the best tache out of you two?

Ben: Lawrence

Lawrence: Yeah I’m not gonna be modest. Me. Ben’s does look good, though.

You can donate via their page here.

2. Leeds Uni Men’s Hockey Team

How many of you are there?

Charlie Claisse: There are currently 153 members in the Men’s hockey club, and pretty much all of us give Movember a go.

What made you decide to do it?

We decided to do Movember because it is for a great cause and anyone can get involved with it. It brings the club together in a charity effort, with some of the funniest and most applaudable efforts coming from those who refuse to shave for a whole month, no matter how little facial hair appears. When every one does it together, no one looks foolish.

Has it been difficult at all?

We’ve battled some adversity throughout the month. One chap turned up to an assessment centre with a strong set of handlebars – no doubt the job offer is in the post! No, we haven’t faced any adversity, apart from some significant others not being best pleased with the new style choice! On the most part, we’ve received great support for our efforts. Movember has become a tradition not just within the club but around the university as a whole, with hockey not being the only big society to get involved.

Who’s got the best tache?

For the last Wednesday in November, we host a Movember social, where every one turns up after their month of growing time to comment and compare each others efforts. We have a strong relationship with the owners of Strawberry Fields bar and they act as our fundraising machine. For every Wednesday social of the month they add 50p to all drink prices. This 50p is then put towards the charity effort. Obviously, this is not the only way you can donate, but we feel it adds a more relaxed approach to fundraising. The owners of Strawberry Fields bar act as judges on the Movember social, awarding various prizes for best tache, best effort, baby face, etc.

You can donate to the main Movemeber page here.

3. Josh Clayton and the Welton Mount Mo Bro’s

How many of you are there?

Josh Clayton: There’s six lads and one girl, who is trying her best.

What made you decide to do it?

Movember is such an easy thing to do and we kind of just felt that it would be a shame not to. It’s a really good cause that doesn’t get as much coverage as it should, so we thought anything we could do to promote it would be great. It’s also a bit of laugh – we have a public Facebook page where we post updates and half of us struggle to even grow a tache.

Has it been difficult at all?

A couple of days ago I said hello to a small child whilst sat at a restaurant, as you would when a kid says hello to you, and his mum quickly dragged him away from me and my “paedo tache”. Jon joe was stopped from entering Centre Parks last week (he drives a pickup truck and the tache-truck combination was too much for security to cope with) they thought he was out stealing children.

Who’s got the best tache?

It depends what you’re looking for in a tache… If it’s the invisible tache you’re looking for then Liam is your guy. If not, then it’s probably a battle between Matt and Sam for first place – although mine is making a late surge.

You can donate to the Welton Mount Bro’s here.