Jesmond businesses are helping Newcastle and Northumbria university sports clubs raise a combined £110,000 for men’s health charity Movember, through T-shirt sales, charity haircuts and running challenges.

Local print shop Piranha Print, on Osborne Avenue, has produced more than 3,000 orders of customised Movember T-shirts for Newcastle University sports clubs during their three-year partnership. With around £7 from each shirt going to charity, Newcastle Movember ambassador Sam Horton expects another 2,000 orders this month, bringing in an estimated £14,000.

Newcastle University sports clubs raised £57,882 last year and are aiming for a record £60,000 this November. Northumbria University, which raised £21,103 last year, has set a target of £50,000, with 50 teams already signed up and more expected to follow.

Last week, both universities held charity shave-down events at Jesmond Barbers and Nord Barbershop, offering discounted haircuts in return for donations. Participants could also have the charity’s moustache symbol shaved into their hair.

Horton said barbershops were a good place to start conversations about men’s mental health, one of Movember’s key missions. “Barbers hear so many people’s day-to-day mental health issues,” he said. “I think people feel like they can speak to their barber as someone outside of their immediate friends or family circle.”

Jesmond’s streets are also set to host returning 24- and 48-hour running challenges involving university sports clubs. “It’s just hilarious seeing them running around Jesmond at all points of the day,” Horton said. Kitted out in branded Movember T-shirts, participants hope to raise awareness as well as money. “People will know why they’re running and have that positive presence around Jesmond literally, 24/7,” he added.

Newcastle ambassador Will Daniels told JesmondLocal the running challenges also bring people together. He said his favourite Movember memory is from a friend’s running event last year, when the whole club turned out to support him. “Some of the people who would never interact with each other are now on a run at 4 AM,” he said. For Daniels, the campaign’s success extends beyond fundraising. “The financial side is one part of it, but I think the second part of it is just bringing everyone together,” he said.

Northumbria’s Movember activities include the return of the 60km Run The Distance challenge at Exhibition Park on Saturday, November 14th. Runners will meet at Wylam Brewery at 7.45am before completing a 5km run every hour until the final 5km at 8pm. The distance marks the 60 men who take their own lives every hour globally, according to the Movember charity. Northumbria ambassador Olly Simpson, who leads the campaign alongside Dom Harvey, is taking on the run himself. “Personally, I’m most excited for the 60k… It’s just trying to raise awareness, bring people together and make people aware that it’s okay to not be okay.”

The ambassadors are leading by example. Horton has completed a 24-hour walk from Brampton to Newcastle, raising £900 so far. Daniels is taking on the Three Peaks Challenge, while Simpson aims to run 120km in addition to Run The Distance.

Northumbria’s November programme also includes a quad day at the Northumbria Students’ Union on November 23rd, before the Mo Awards close the campaign on November 29th.

Newcastle’s medics have a five-a-side tournament planned for Thursday, November 26th, at Powerleague in Gateshead, while the annual Movember Mech Eng 11s tournament is still to be confirmed.

For more information about how to take part, visit the Newcastle and Northumbria Movember Instagram pages.

If you have been affected by this story, Samaritans can be contacted free, 24 hours a day, on 116 123.