A local high school’s s-tache of cash for a global charity event saw it top the table for state schools across the country.
Last year the Congleton High School team raised £2,715 but this year has been a record-breaking effort with the team so far accumulating £7,228 – the highest amount ever raised in a charity event by the school.
They also came ninth out of 476 schools participating in the national event – and were the highest ranked state school in England.
Since the beginning of November, more than 50 sixth form students and staff at Congleton High School participated in Movember – the global charity that works to raise awareness and support people relating to testicular and prostate cancer, and men’s mental health.
The Congleton team – known as CongletonsMovember – saw the males growing moustaches, this year joined by female members who together have been walking, running, swimming and cycling, surpassing their 3,000km target.
The month of fundraising culminated with 20 students and staff completing a group walk, and finally, three staff climbed Snowdon on Sunday, 30th November.
Head teacher Heidi Thurland told the “Chronicle”: “We are incredibly proud of the remarkable efforts of our students and staff.
“Raising such a significant amount over the past month required exceptional planning and dedication for a truly worthy cause. We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed.”
Donations can still be made to support their efforts by scanning the QR code or going to tinyurl.com/yfxucnxh.
Movember is an annual event involving the growing of moustaches during November to raise awareness of men’s health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men’s suicide. It is a portmanteau of the Australian-English diminutive word for moustache, “mo” and “November”.
It dates back to 1999 when a group of young men in Adelaide, South Australia, coined the term “Movember” and the idea of growing moustaches for charity throughout November. In a news report, members of the Adelaide-based “Movember Committee” explained how they came up with the idea for Movember one night in the pub. The group started with 80 men from Adelaide and soon became a nationwide phenomenon. They also aimed to raise money for the RSPCA through selling T-shirts in what they termed “Growing whiskers for whiskers”.
In 2004, an unrelated group in Melbourne organised an event where 30 men would grow a moustache for 30 days in order to raise awareness for prostate cancer and depression in men. They inspired 26 other friends with a desire to bring back the trend of growing moustaches. The next year, nearly 500 people raised more than $40,000 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. At the time, it was the largest donation the foundation had ever received. This group would later become the Movember Foundation charity.
Congleton High School is part of The Learning Partnership, a multi-academy trust with 15 schools across East Cheshire and North Staffordshire, delivering education to more than 7,000 pupils.
