Movember 2024: The University of Birmingham highlights

Throughout the month of November, teams and individuals across the University of Birmingham raised money for the Movember Foundation.

The charity, which was founded over 20 years ago, aims to spread awareness of men’s health issues, whether that be physical or mental, and break the stigma of getting help.

The University of Birmingham finished in 7th place on the UK universities leaderboard, raising £58,656, marking a new record for the university.

One especially important event for the university was the ‘Mo Run,’ which sought to bring awareness to the 324 men who, on average, lose their lives to suicide every month in the UK.

With over 800 members and 69 teams taking part, The Tab spoke to some of the clubs involved to find out what their Movember highlights were:

The School of Engineering RFC

The School of Engineering RFC raised the most amount of money at UoB, with a final total of £8,404. The club saw 61 members take part in a variety of initiatives, from a charity gig in collaboration with the live music society to their annual Movember quiz, which itself raised an impressive £1,500. The team also participated in the university’s ‘Mo Run,’ with one member even completing a half marathon. Conor Cahill was deemed to have grown the best tash, with his “dark and illustrious handlebar stash garnering attention on and around campus.”.

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The team held many of these events and activities during their usual weekly schedules at venues they visit frequently to showcase how checking in on friends and discussing taboo topics can be done in everyday, familiar settings. The club has been amazed to see the Movember efforts across campus and is urging people to continue fighting for important causes over the festive break and in the future.

University of Birmingham Men’s Rugby Union

UoBRFC finished in third place on the Birmingham leaderboard, raising an impressive £6,430.19. The team took on lots of events to raise money for Movember, including ‘The Mo-Down’—a’ sponsored rugby game against Sheffield, which they won 58-19, and managed to raise over £150 through their raffle on that day alone. The club set up donation milestone challenges, ranging from a few members signing up for the Birmingham Half Marathon to one player getting a moustache shaved onto the back of his head! The team’s best stash award has been given to Marcus Garcha—see picture above!

The team has been doing lots of work to tackle the stigma surrounding men’s mental health within the club by sending out a settling-in survey to its first years earlier on in the year to check on their well-being having moved to a brand new city as well as spreading the message that it is okay to not be okay through its many events over the year.

The club would like to give a special thanks to Matt Reeves, Ethan Said, and Callum Bates for helping organise their Movember effort, as well as Ollie Matthews for being a great leader and role model within the club, helping to create a sense of brotherhood and belonging between the players. Special shoutout has to go to James Baxter for once again breaking the £1000 donation mark and being our top fundraiser, running 54 km for Movember in one day!

University of Birmingham Cricket Club

University of Birmingham Tennis Club

UoB’s tennis team raised £1000 this year for Movember—an amazing improvement from their efforts last year. Movember events included a 24-hour tennis challenge that raised over £780 thanks to donations from club members who couldn’t take part, friends, and family. The club set fundraising milestones with forfeits, including an ice bucket challenge, playing barefoot for 30 minutes, eating a phall curry (the hottest curry in the world), and one member even shaved their head!

The team is continuing to help its members by organising a welfare drop-in to encourage its members to sit down and have a chat in a comfortable and friendly environment. On the topic of who grew the best facial hair for Movember, it has to be said that there were some great stashes across the club, so head over to their Instagram to judge your favourite!

University of Birmingham Men’s Rugby League

The Rugby League club raised nearly £700 this year; an amazing effort considering it was the team’s first year taking part in Movember. The club took part in fitness events like group runs and exercises, as well as the Mo Run, where even parents took part!

Moustaches were also grown, with the best tash award being shared between Ryan and Lucas!

The team has been supporting their players by sharing their own experiences and struggles with men’s health, as well as ensuring all members know where to get help if they need it.

If you have any worries or questions, please message @movember_uob on Instagram. For anonymous support, the Movember website can signpost you to helplines and health services.