Beard Up campaign raises £14,000+

Sunday 16 December 2018

Male Uprising Guernsey’s (MUG) #BeardUp campaign raised more than £14,000 for the charity, as hundreds of men across the Bailiwick ditched their razors and grew their whiskers in November.

This year’s fundraising was given a head start thanks to Weighbridge Trust which pledged £2,500 to the campaign.

Matt Hemans of Weighbridge Trust, said; "We are proud to have been a part of the MUG Beard Up campaign this year. The work that the charity does in the island is vital in raising awareness of men’s health."

The charity also teamed up with Island Taxis with the drivers asked to ‘grow a grizzly’ and, via a specially designed taxi receipt, the charity was also able to re-enforce its #GetChecked message. Throughout November, passengers were given a card with the following key messages, explaining why getting health concerns checked quickly, could save their life:

#GetChecked - don’t wait, visit your GP about any concerns
#SpeakUp - encourage friends and family to see their GP with any health worries
#NoShame - don’t be embarrassed to talk about your health concerns

"It’s been great to be a part of this initiative and to help make a difference. Even if our dedicated receipts encouraged just one man to go get checked then it was worth it," said Mario from Island Taxis.

As always the charity received tremendous support from corporate companies, including Louvre Group, First Names, Oak Group, Canaccord, Richmond, PwC, Deloitte, BDO and Northern Trust. It was not just a corporate affair though, as 60 students from Elizabeth College stopped shaving for the month too.

The charity has thanked everyone who supported this initiative and particularly praised fundraiser Barry Samson who became an official MUG fundraiser last year, a title Mr Samson has carried proudly raising a fantastic £2,250 for Beard Up 2018.

Dan Collins, Chairman of MUG, said: "I am always humbled by the number of people that get behind the Beard Up campaign, and to have 60 students take part this year is incredible. The community spirit and support we receive from islanders year-on-year is fantastic. Prostate cancer is the island’s number one cause of cancer death and is the second most common cancer on the island, so having Island Taxis help spread the #GetChecked message is incredible."

Pictured top - back l to r: Dan Collins - MUG Chairman, Luke Cairns - Weighbridge Trust, Richard Meade - Island Taxis; seated: Jubilee Day Centre user Barry Samson; front: Logan Edmonds, 7, who has become a young MUG ambassador