MOVEMBER

Movember used to be the month of November with no facial hair growing association. But then some genius decided to claim the month formerly known as November in the name of men’s health. Movember is an annual, month-long celebration of the moustache, highlighting men’s health issues.

Prostate cancer is the charity that tends to by supported most in Movember (whose work, of course, is unbelievably important), but I have decided to raise money for CALM. I first heard about the amazing work CALM do in the summer of 2010 and instantly appreciated why this is such an important service and resource for so many people.

I write this note on Movember 15^th, which means I have had over 2 weeks of hair growth and endured 2 weeks of moustachey jokes! Here are some of the reactions I have had to my new hairy image:

Week 1: The Goatee. "come on mate, a goatee is cheating, I'll grab a razor for you from boots so you can shave off the beard bit" and "you look like David Brent" were the best week 1 responses to my dirty new found facial hair.

Week 2: The Wolverine / Mexican bandit. "ooh, that's a bit aggressive" and "you're still cheating, you don't look silly enough yet" are week 2's winning quotes.

Week 3: 'The bushy policeman': "Now that's a real tash - good work", "Now you look like Burt Reynolds / look like a porn star".

Week 4 is set to be 'The Handlebar' if I can pull it off (need some serious hair growth and moustache oil for this look - yes, moustache oil actually exists!), if not I'm open to suggestions - dying it blond has not been completely ruled out as yet!

There are a few pics on my 'just giving' website, but I have attached a Mexican bandit snap to prove how silly I look and hopefully tempt you into sponsoring me!

If you do fancy sponsoring me the website is:http://www.justgiving.com/joe-harper

The amazing and ruggedly handsome hair on my upper lip for the next 30 days should be a continuous reminder to support this worthy cause…

Moustachily Yours,

Joe Harper