Page 14 - The Cormorant Issue 24 Crest Publications

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Movember Charity Event
Lt Col Rich Green
MOVEMBER IS NOW AN international event, and with such an international ACSC (and indeed wider Defence Academy), a month of careful facial hair grooming seemed appropriate. The key reason for Movember is to raise awareness for men’s health, but specifically mental health, suicide prevention, testicular and prostate cancer. The contribution of Movember not only raises vital funds to support these important issues but it also raises awareness of those affected.
‘Mo-growers’ from ACSC were joined by the Intermediate Command and Staff Course (Land) [ICSC(L)], donated their
It wasn’t just students – Wg Cdr Jeff Moulton sporting the ‘Trucker’
C6 won the best syndicate effort
own cash, and were also sponsored
by colleagues, family and friends to undertake a range of charity events. These included a virtual North Coast trek around Scotland and individual half and full marathon runs. Although Movember is about raising awareness for men’s health charities, women were also involved in fund-raising efforts.
Lt Col Becks Macklin, showing the boys how to do it
Both courses split their fundraising efforts into syndicates. With 257 students on ACSC, more than 80 of them set up individual Movember fundraising accounts, while dozens more supported their activities in raising a total of £10,600 for the cause. A significant number of ICSC(L)’s 200 students contributed to Movember, either by growing a mo, donating money or taking part in Ex RUNNING OWL, the half/full marathon, organised by Major Andy Lucas. In doing so, the ICSC(L) syndicates raised £6,479 for the Movember charity.
For ACSC, the syndicates were divided into three divisions, A, B and C. Student Tom Evans-Jones, of syndicate C3, pledged to run 1km for every pound
he was sponsored; in the end he ran 502km.
Syndicate C7, meanwhile, conducted a virtual North Coast 500 for Movember. The challenge was collectively to cover
Wg Cdr Jay Berry
516 miles (830km) on foot or kayak as part of a tour of northern Scotland. On the way, C7 had a pictorial tour, grew incredible moustaches, and shared experiences of Scotland. C7 exceeded their target and tacked on an additional 50-or-so miles, ending on St Andrew’s Day.
In total the A Div syndicates raised £2,980; B Div syndicates raised £3,288; and C Div syndicates raised £4,302.
Movember was a humbling experience on three levels: first, despite the challenges of remote working, the sheer number of people involved was overwhelming; secondly, the levels of innovation applied to ‘Mo’ events were impressive; and finally, the amount
of money raised for such a worthy cause was completely unexpected. An awesome team effort from my fellow students and staff. I was proud to be involved.