Photography by Alastair Abrehart – Broadsword Communications
Once a year, all over the world, clean-shaven men spend a month growing moustaches to raise awareness and funds for the prostate cancer charity, Movember.
The BVI Movember Charitable Trust organises Movember-related events in the Territory, culminating this year in a red-carpet affair, the End of Movember Party and Prize Giving, at Nanny Cay Beach on Sunday, November 29 at 6pm.
The theme for 2015 is Movember at the Movies; with MOscars going for such categories as Best Leading Moustache and Best Bromance, the competitors will have the opportunity to outdo themselves with costumes, props, performances, and facial hair.
The rules are as follows: each participant must show up for registration clean-shaven.
This year, there will be three registration events for MoBros. First, BVI Movember will host an early bird registration at CocoMaya in Virgin Gorda, on Friday, October 30, for the fellas who are willing to ferry over to the small island for a couple of extra days’ growth advantage. Next, on the first day of Movember, Sunday, November 1, MoBros can register at Paradise Club in Cane Garden Bay during the afternoon while enjoying some beach time and drink specials. As a last resort, for those latecomers who are too lazy to stray from town, they can sign up at Le Cabernet in Road Town on Monday, November 2, during Happy Hour…but, they must be clean shaven, so they’ll have a one-day disadvantage from the rest of the pack.
Once a MoBro has signed up, he must ask friends, family, and colleagues to sponsor his month of upper lip growth. The rules are that the moustache cannot join the sideburns nor any chin hair. While this is mostly a moustache competition, some men do grow illustrious mutton chops, but their moustaches must be independent of other growth. And this must continue for the entire month.
Men are not allowed to grow beards all month and then shave them into moustaches on the last day. They must abide the rules and grow a moustache all month.
The importance of the moustache is that it is a conversation starter. A pilot friend of mine grew a moustache one year, and before each flight in November, he’d tell his passengers to excuse the cliché pilot moustache, but he was growing it for Movember, a prostate cancer charity. He ended up getting donations from his passengers. He also facilitated a conversation about prostate cancer that he would not have had otherwise.
Mid-month, BVI Movember will check on the MoBros progress and raise more funds and awareness for the cause. Sticking to the theme of red-carpet and movie stars, the jet setting MoBros and their friends are invited to the BVI Movember Petanque Tournament and Picnic at Brandywine Estate Restaurant on Sunday, November 14, at 12pm.
Lastly, the main event is the MOscars—the End of Movember Party and Prizegiving at Nanny Cay Beach Bar when the men get to show off their growth and get dressed up for a night at the MOscars.
According to American Cancer Society’s The Cancer Atlas, prostate cancer is the number one cause of cancer-related deaths for Latin American and Caribbean men. One of the main reasons that number is so high is because men don’t like to talk about their prostates, but Movember has started to change all that. In addition to donating funds to men in the Territory in need of assistance, BVI Movember Charitable Trust also donates a portion of the money they raise to increase awareness of prostate cancer and its preventability through screening and positive health practices. The Trust also gives funds to prostate cancer research in the hopes of improving the current screening methods.
For more information, or to donate or volunteer, please email [email protected]. If you have been diagnosed with prostate or testicular cancer and need assistance, you may also contact us or the BVI Cancer Society.
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