The Movember Foundation was formed back in 2004 in Australia, after the success of a small event of 30 people, raising awareness for prostate cancer and depression in men by growing moustaches for 30 days in 2003. The event took off and spread over to South Africa, Europe and the US and has now become a worldwide activity with up to 5 million growing their 'Taches for charity every year.

Online presence is now much stronger and more effective than ever before, so in 2010 the charity also launched 'The Moscars' which takes participants involvement online. The Moscars is a video based contest, offering entrants the opportunity to win prizes, but ultimately creating more exposure for the charity globally.

The Foundation's message is simple "Stop men dying too young" and they aim to do this by funding three priority areas;
Prostate Cancer, which kills 35 men every hour.
Testicular Cancer, the most common cancer in men under 40.
Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, a man takes his life every minute.
By fundraising, creating services and engaging with and educating men, the foundation expects to reduce the number of men dying prematurely by 25% by 2030.

Something as simple as growing a Moustache may appear trivial to some and others may not enjoy the whisker kisses but the idea behind this 30 day hair growth is very important and shouldn't be ignored. The fact is, a lot of men don't like to talk about their personal life or show that they are struggling and Movember is a great way to break this silence.

There is still time to donate to this cause and if you've missed the boat for the Moustache, there's always next year! If you need any inspiration, we've photographed a selection of men who took part in the movement and you can see them on our website at www.mhphotographic.co.uk/portfolios/people.aspx. In the meantime, there's plenty more you can do to raise money at uk.movember.com/get-involved/fundraise