I didn't set out to do Movember! It just happened...I thought I'd give my face a rest during half-term and just left things like that until it was time to go back to school. Then we received notification that our school was going to face an inspection. True, it was nothing that we couldn't handle but these things do have a tendency to take over our thoughts and lives albeit, for a short and intense period of time. Yet something struck me as a little strange. We can almost forget the issues that still affect others because we become so preoccupied with what is happening to us. A very good friend of mine, Tom, is a poet and regularly shares his poems with us. He sent this one right in the middle of our Poetry Week at school. It is called "Gardening". It struck a chord immediately. I am a hopeless gardener and the most I can do is tend to me bonsais! But the poem clearly affected me on a much deeper level. I had heard of something called "Social Prescribing" which had been suggested to a mutual friend. Social prescribing is a way for healthcare professionals to connect patients with non-clinical services in their community to support their social, emotional, and practical needs, thereby improving their overall health and wellbeing. It's a holistic approach that addresses the root causes of health issues, which often stem from factors like loneliness, financial problems, or a lack of exercise, rather than just treating symptoms. That moment when I decided to stop shaving coincided with receiving the poem and hearing about Social Prescribing. I also started getting enquiries about if I would be raising any money for Movember. It seems that fate had already put me on that path and who was i to question it? So here I am! November is almost over and who knows this 'ache might actually be able to do a bit more than just insulate my upper lip during the cold snap!

Our fathers, partners, brothers and friends are facing a health crisis, yet it’s rarely talked about. Men are dying too young. We can’t afford to stay silent.

We are the leading charity changing the face of men’s health. We know what works for men – and what doesn’t. Prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention – we’re taking them all on.

Since 2003, Movember has funded more than 1,250 men’s health projects around the world, challenging the status quo, and shaking up men’s health research.