Student-led charity Student Minds Cambridge (SMC) has teamed up with staff and students at St Catharine’s College to take part in Movember.

The campaign is raising money for Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), a men’s mental health charity offering support and challenging stigma surrounding mental health issues. On their official JustGiving page, the campaign draws attention to the fact that “3 out of every 4 suicides are male,” and stresses that “we believe it’s important to talk about men’s mental health and open up the discussion.” So far, the campaign has raised over £140 for the charity, and hopes to raise £500 by then end of the month.

The campaign is run by SMC’s College Representative Coordinator Carolyn Irvine. Irvine told Varsity that the idea for the campaign was sparked by a conversation between herself and the college’s Head Porter, Dave Dove, during which Dove recalled the porters' participation in Movember several years previously. As a result of the conversation, they decided to start a Movember campaign again to raise money for men’s mental health issues. The campaign was organised by Dove and Irvine, with help from the Student Minds Catz team and the MCR Welfare representative Frances St George-Hyslop. So far, seven students and seven Catz porters are taking part.

Speaking to Varsity, Irvine said that “I am always really proud of Catz as a college. I feel that the college community often bands together to support causes and drive community action.

“This fundraising effort demonstrates that community spirit that makes Catz a really unique college. It’s about more than just fundraising, it’s about drawing attention to men’s mental health, which unfortunately is so often overlooked.

“One of the biggest challenges to mental health work is creating a space which is inclusive for all genders. We’d love for other colleges to do Movember next year, but in the meantime, you can support the Catz fundraising drive by sponsoring our porters and students.”

The JustGiving page for the campaign can be found at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/catzmovember