These are the unis that raised the most money for Movember this year

And yes, we’ve got lots of pics of the best taches

3 years ago

Every November, uni students across the country who’d usually get mocked for having a bit of bum fluff on their top lips get to try their hand at Movember and grow whatever facial hair their follicles can push out.

It’s gone from being an excuse to see what you’d look like if you stopped shaving to a pretty huge fundraising effort. This year, a couple of unis managed to raise over £100,000. Exeter topped the table, raising over £190,000 in a month.

It’s a lot of money, and all going towards men’s health causes – prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and male suicide. These are the unis who raised the most money, and the best taches from the sports teams who made the biggest efforts.

These are the 25 unis who raised the most money for Movember this year:

1. Exeter – £192,020

2. Nottingham – £113,139

3. Oxford – £88,205

4. Swansea – £66,878

5. Cardiff – £65,498

6. Durham – £60,833

7. St Andrews – £56, 931

8. Bristol – £55,056

9. York – £53,267

10. Liverpool – £53,250

11. Oxford Brookes – £47,768

12. Glasgow – £47,739

13. Sheffield – £45,874

14. Loughborough – £45,556

15. Warwick – £44,632

16. Birmingham – £41,752

17. Stirling – £37,314

18. Southampton – £37,077

19. UEA – £36,536

20. Aberdeen – £33,885

21. Leeds – £33,670

22. UCL – £32,181

23. Heriot Watt – £31, 701

24. Lancaster – £31,576

25. QUB – £30,014

The total from the top 25 is a staggering £1,385,352 – smashing through the million pound mark. But within those huge totals, certain clubs have gone absolutely mad.

Exeter Uni rugby club were the top fundraisers at the top uni, managing to bring in £23,923 – demolishing last year’s total of £6,382. In one day the club managed to raise almost £4,000 by clocking up over 1,600km between its members.

Donations came from all corners, with members of the club completing physical feats, but the most impressive effort came from a particular personal sacrifice. “A third year clubman with the nickname ‘Kurtains’ (in honour of his hair that hasn’t been cut since before university) shaving his head once he got to his donation target,” the club told us.

Exeter’s football club, who raised over £18,000, managed to combine the men’s and women’s team to create a super effort. Exeter student Drew Daintan, the club’s welfare sec, said it “created a more inclusive and widespread Movember campaign from everyone who loves the beautiful game at the uni. Shoutouts to Georgia Godfrey and George Warne for connecting the two clubs so well.

“Above all else it was about spreading the message that men are dying too young and something needs to be done, whether that’s encouraging everyone to reach out to their mates and seeing how they are, or even checking their balls for lumps and getting a prostate exam.”

Exeter Uni cricket club also managed to beat the £20k mark, and four members ran marathons. “This year it has been particularly important given the difficult circumstances we have found ourselves in. Particularly for the freshers who have been stuck in halls,” a spokesperson told The Tab.

Plenty of heads have been shaved, and the clubs say: “It has given everyone a real sense of purpose and community that we are all in this together and will get through it.”

Nottingham’s hockey club raised over £16,000 in their effort, and managed to rack up over 2000km between their members, including a few marathons. They’re not stopping there.

“This coming Sunday several of our members are cycling 130km to Leek to keep the fundraising going,” a spokesperson for the club told The Tab. “Having raised £11k last year we absolutely smashed our targets, but we were very reliant on everyone’s widespread generosity.”

Swansea Uni rugby club managed to raise over £9,000. James Brooker, the club’s Movember ambassador said: “At Swansea, we saw the opportunity to help our brothers, fathers and mates overcome men’s health by growing our moustaches, hosting socially distances events and online discussions within the uni aided by representatives from companies such as OddBalls.”