Kudos to students and staff in School House – one of our Senior Boys’ Day and Boarding Houses – for raising more than £1,000 for Movember!
This is the second year running that Housemaster of School House, Mr Michael Ruta, and the boys have raised funds and awareness for the charity throughout November. Movember supports men’s mental health, suicide prevention, prostate cancer, and testicular cancer.
Students were encouraged to support the ‘Movember Move’ campaign; to walk or run 60-kilometres in memory of the 60 men lost to suicide, globally, every hour. The boys also helped to organise and run a number of fundraising activities, including a bake sale, a fancy dress hockey competition, a dodgeball tournament, and a ‘Winter Barbecue’, complete with hot dogs, churros, and hot chocolates.
School House hoped to raise £1,000, but thanks to our community’s generosity, they managed to accumulate a superb £1,263 in donations!
Mr Ruta said: “Some of the boys also delivered a talk during a Senior School Cathedral Service on their aims and motivations for supporting Movember. Not only has a fantastic amount of money been raised, but the events and activities have also heightened the importance of opening up discussions around men’s illness, such as prostate and testicular cancer, and also brought into the spotlight the unseen mental health struggles that men are often unable or unwilling to discuss. Our efforts as a House will hopefully help those who are in need to access the support that is available to them.”
Since 2003, Movember has funded more than 1,250 men’s health projects around the world, challenging the status quo, shaking up men’s health research and transforming the way health services reach and support men.
Year 13 Prefects, Jack Hooker and Hugh Chippington, also put their best feet forward to raise funds and awareness for the campaign.
Jack and Hugh originally planned to run a combined 456-kilometres between November 6th and December 6th, with the number 456 representing roughly how many suicides there are each month in the UK. They ended up completing just over 600-kilometres between them, and they have raised more than £2,350 in sponsorship!
Jack and Hugh said: “Men often suffer in silence, and as school boys, this is our way of saying that you are not alone. We are so grateful for everyone’s donations!”
To sponsor Jack and Hugh, visit: www.gofundme.com/f/fund-raise-the-running-of-456-km-for-movember
