Lincoln students raise over £6,500 for Movember

Lincoln students are taking part in this year's Movember challenge to raise money and increase awareness for men's health. The team are growing moustaches throughout November and have so far raised over £6,500. Oscar Lemmens, a fourth-year undergraduate studying Engineering Science, has been leading the College's Movember team for the past three years, as well as acting as a Movember Ambassador for the University. Oscar says:

"Movember is essentially a charity that raises money and awareness of men's health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men's suicide. Every year, during the month of November, men grow out their moustaches to spread awareness for the cause. That being said, anyone can get involved regardless of gender or facial hair growth! I've seen people participate in a variety of ways, whether that's getting a mullet or drawing on a moustache! At the end of the day, it's meant to be a fun way of tackling serious issues by fundraising and spreading awareness!

This year, Lincoln has been doing incredibly well! With 26 students participating, Lincoln is topping the College leaderboard, having raised over £6,500! Oxford University as a whole is also smashing it with close to 600 participants and having raised over £50,000 and being 3rd highest raising University in the country. This is the best start to Movember that Lincoln College, as well as Oxford, has ever seen.

It's been more difficult to spread awareness because all the moustaches are in lockdown. So we've had to get much more creative when it comes to fundraising. Our very own Lincolnites have put their bodies and hair on the line as we hit raising milestones. Sam Christmas waxed his armpits, Alex Greenhalgh shaved his eyebrow, Cameron Chambers has gotten a mullet and Dylan Böhm is getting an 'Avatar' haircut, all to raise funds for this important cause. Jacob Kelly, who has helped me co-lead the team has also launched a charity calendar to raise even more money for Movember, and Dylan Böhm and Tommy Clark have organised charity virtual poker events!

Mental health issues are very common nowadays, especially among university students. University is such an amazing experience but that being said, it does also have a toll on your mental health no matter how resilient you think you are. Too many people and students in particular bottle emotions up and end up getting swallowed by their own thoughts. This has been particularly prevalent throughout lockdown and has highlighted how important it is to seek help and advice to avoid feeling isolated and alone.

Please consider donating using this link. Any donations will be gratefully received and very much appreciated!"