RPS Water Team raise an astounding £1,300 pounds for Movember
The RPS Water Teams in Sheffield and Derby have raised a remarkable £1,300 as part of their participation in the annual Movember charity event.
19 December 2023 | 2 min read
The RPS Water Teams in Sheffield and Derby have raised a remarkable £1,300 as part of their participation in the annual Movember charity event.
Movember is an initiative during the month of November to raise awareness and funds for men's health issues, including prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men's suicide. Participants show solidarity and support by growing a moustache during the course of the month.
The campaign was founded by the Movember Foundation, a leading charity with over 5 million supporters across the world, sponsoring more than 1,200 innovative men's health projects across more than 20 countries. Using the moustache as the driving symbol of the movement, Movember aims to increase early cancer detection, mental health intervention, and ultimately reduce the number of preventable deaths in men.
Mo Bros, Ben Carter and Jake Senior led the charge, organising and coordinating RPS’ Movember efforts. This is the third year the Water Modellers have participated in fundraising for the cause.
“It started with a conversation between Jake and I,” explains Ben. “He mentioned it to me and thought how this could be a really great way to spread awareness of men's mental health.”
“We thought this could be a potential platform,” adds Jake “that we could take an opportunity to raise money for a great cause and also bring the team together a bit.”
For both Ben and Jake, the venture is a passionate one. “I've got friends that suffer from mental health issues,” says Ben. “And I'm sure there are other people that work with us that know people that experience or have experienced the same thing.”
“Male mental health is something that I'm very invested in and is very important to me,” says Jake. “The biggest reason why I think people should care and should get involved is because 70% of suicides globally are men.” Outside of work, Jake attends night school to train to be a counsellor, specifically to assist with mental health treatment and support young people.
“In general, men really struggle with managing things that have happened in their life, they struggle to digest it.” Jake continues. “And typically, they don't have as good support systems yet sustain so much responsibility in society. It makes it sometimes difficult to talk about things. That can be part of many of the reasons why men also cause more problems in our society due to that pain and the mismanagement of the things that have happened in our lives. So, by helping men, we help everybody.”
The team raised funds by setting up an RPS Water Team Page on the Movember site - visit page.
The group initially started with Ben and Jake, but with some word of mouth, over 10 members took the leap and threw out their razors, with many more donating to the cause. Along with the RPS Water Team, families and friends of employees also participated, making individual donations, and sharing the RPS Movember Page across social media.
After only a short amount of time, the team managed to break last year’s record of £1100. “It's great to see everyone kind of getting involved in it and come together for this cause.” Says Ben. “It’s all thanks to an amazing effort from everyone involved and the people from around the company, as well as the families and friends who donated.”
The team has also garnered a number of supporters all across RPS. “Well done everyone!” says one RPS colleague. “Looking good, fellas,” says another.
Ben believes this cause is essential not just to men, but to RPS as a whole. “These topics can get overlooked and not always get the attention, the awareness that they need, especially in a working environment so it’s great to see the support we got from RPS. It highlighted how vital it is to assure that people’s well-being is being looked after within the company.”
This success has only motivated them further as Ben shares their ambitions for the upcoming year. “Now that we’ve got that initial group interest, we can build on that for next year and get more people involved, get a bigger target”. The team is also considering a sponsored event similar to the ones held by Macmillian or Mind. “I think this year's been a benchmark to push on and get us to do even better next year.
Jake concludes reaffirming the significance of the movement. “Recognising core problems and tackling male issues in a positive and compassionate way is important. You create a better society for everybody, and you help everyone.”
Despite the Movember efforts coming to a close, many individuals are still making donations. If you’d like to learn more or contribute to the cause, visit the team’s page here.