CARDIFF, UK: Hockey fans are a generous lot, with charity jerseys, charity events and ‘air-the-bear’ nights at rinks around the UK this season, it is no wonder that so many teams have backed ‘Movember’.
Movember, (the month formerly known as November) is a moustache growing charity event held during November each year that raises funds and awareness for men’s health.
Movember challenges men to change their appearance and the face of men ’ s health by growing a moustache. The rules are simple, start Movember 1st clean shaven and then grow a moustache for the entire month. The moustache becomes the ribbon for men ’ s health, the means by which awareness and funds are raised for cancers that affect men, specifically prostrate and testicular cancers.
The funds raised through Movember ’ s UK campaign benefit The Prostate Cancer Charity (TPCC), the UK ’ s leading prostate cancer charity. Each year about 36,000 men in the UK are diagnosed with prostate cancer, making it the most common cancer in men. It mainly affects men aged over 50.
Seven years ago, just thirty men took part in the first month of manliness that is Movember. Originating in Australia, the trend has now become global, and already this year there are over one million “Mo-Bros” and plenty of “Mo-Sistas” to support them.
Several of the Cardiff Devils are among those million, including Captain Ryan Finnerty, Mark Smith, Scott Matzka, Sam Smith and Alex Symonds. Ryan Finnerty explained why he thought it would be a positive thing for him and his teammates to do.
“ I think women have shown us how to raise the profile of cancer through their events for breast cancer in particular and I ’ m pleased that men are now finding their way of raising the profile of cancers which affect men. I decided to take part this year to do my bit to raise money for this great charity. I think the guys are going to have a lot of fun with it, I ’ m glad it ’ s catching on we all have our own Movember pages which you can donate to online. Even if fans can only afford to donate £1 or so, we will raise a lot for charity.”
Movember is something that has been taken up by the hockey fraternity outside of Cardiff too, with players in Newcastle, Braehead, and Peterborough also embracing the Mo. The trend has continued off the ice too, Paul Lynch (Pro Hockey News photographer) and Malk Elliot are backing the charity by selling “Hockey Helps” merchandise online and by raising awareness to the campaign throughout the hockey fraternity. Hockey Helps T-shirt are available on ebay for just £11.99, with half of all sales going directly to the ‘Movember’ fundraising total. For more click here.
To support Movember, why not grow a late Mo, buy a Hockey Helps t-shirt, or donate directly to your Cardiff Devils Movember Squad, by donating online:
http://uk.movember.com/mospace/1185320/index/tp/2
Contact the writer Victoria.silverwood@prohockeynews.com
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