A group of mates completed what they have called the 'world's rudest pub crawl'. And it was all to raise funds and awareness for men's mental health.
The blokes took to the streets of South Manchester last month, mapping out a GPS route that was a sight to behold. They were hoping to raise awareness for men's health issues - including testicular cancer and high suicide rates, reports the Manchester Evening News.
The team of pals followed a 40km route across the city, naming it 'A Cock and Ball Story'. The route draws a rude image on GPS art but it was part of an effort to normalise conversation about men's mental health by bringing it to typically-male settings like the pub.
They raised an impressive £4,750 in support of leading men's mental health charity Movember. The group hopes to emphasise the importance of normalising conversation around men's mental health throughout the year too.
The money will assist in providing vital support to men's health projects as more than 5,000 men in the UK and Ireland took their own lives last year, accounting for 74% of all suicides. Movember ambassador and walk leader, George Frewer, said: “We know the art work is cheeky but we hope it doesn’t offend anyone. Our intention is to grab people’s attention and raise awareness of issues that aren’t talked about enough.
"We’re getting beyond the banter to talk about two very real issues affecting men all over the world – their mental health and testicular cancer. Far too many men are lost to suicide and talking and sharing experiences would go some way to reduce those numbers."
While stopping at pubs along the way, the group engaged with men and started conversations around men's health such as the importance of 'checking their nuts' in line with the annual national Movember campaign that highlights testicular cancer statistics.
George, a company director, added: "We decided walking for charity is great because it's really accessible. It allows us to talk to each other, something we couldn't achieve with a run or bike ride, and by our sides without the intimidation of face-to-face discussion.
"We want to continuously reiterate the need to reach out to mates and finding a way to talk. We also hope other people in Greater Manchester will retrace our route to get opening up about mental health."
Men are half as likely to seek out the help and support they need for their mental health and one man dies by suicide every minute everyday across the world, accounting for 69% of all suicides. Previously George and friend Mark Bartlem, Manchester United and Liverpool FC fans respectively, put their football rivalry aside to lead a walk from Anfield to Old Trafford last Movember in the ‘tache of two cities’ walk.
Covering 60km to raise awareness of the one man who dies by suicide every 60 seconds across the world, their football-themed walk started a theme of bringing the mental health conversation into typically masculine environments. Though the group found the walk 'pretty gruelling' by all accounts with lots of blisters and aching muscles covering 40km in one day, they said it as well worth it.
George continued: “The issue of suicide is incredibly complex. But we know this: improving overall mental health and helping men establish better social connections can reduce the risk of suicide. And mental health is a normal thing so we need to talk about it more in normal situations, in the pub, on a walk, in sport.”
You can continue to support George and the other walkers chosen charity here.
