BUSINESSES have been doing their bit to raise money and awareness of prostate and testicular cancer as part of the Movember campaign.
Each November sees clean shaven men pledge to grow their moustaches for a month.
Staff at Panacea Pharma Projects, a pharmaceutical company based at Peterson House, Middle River, Douglas, raised more than £1,400 with funds still coming in.
Managing director Matthew McSevney, who is still sporting the moustache he grew for Movember, said: ‘We had around 20 people taking part in Movember this year and, as always, it was a fun way to raise funds for a very good cause.
‘We hosted a Movember Party at the Liverpool Arms which included friends and family of Panacea staff, as well as Mo Bros and Mo Sistas from the Department of the Environment, Food and Agriculture, The Children’s Centre, and KPMG.’
Meanwhile, Abbey Dental staff raised £475 with the help of barber Ron Smith in memory of a close friend.
Dentist at the Ballasalla practice Mark Hepworth, his dad Peter and Ron all grew moustaches.
Mark and his wife Tracie, who is the manager at Abbey Dental, became more aware of the devastating effects of prostate cancer when close family friend Ted Gould, from Ramsey, was diagnosed six and a half years ago and died earlier this year.
‘It was a really good way of raising awareness because everyone was asking why they’ve got a moustache,’ Tracie said.
‘Everyone was very generous and very supportive. We even had patients come in who were growing moustaches.’
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men, with one in nine men being diagnosed with the disease.
Risk of prostate cancer increases over the age of 50, and in men whose father or brother had prostate cancer. Early symptoms include an increased need to urinate more frequently and problems with starting and stopping urination. Movember’s main aim is to raise awareness of men’s health issues, specifically cancers affecting men.
It wants to spread the message that most cancers– including prostate and testicular – are highly curable if caught in the early stages.