“I didn’t expect us to hit it so quickly” – Eccles Rugby Club exceed £1,000 Movember target in cause which focuses on men’s mental health

Eccles Rugby Club has exceeded their £1,000 Movember target just as the month has come to a close.

The fundraiser, spearheaded by first-team captain James Wright, initially set a target of £1,000 and on Monday last week, the club achieved this figure. The funds have since continued to grow and the fundraiser currently stands at £1,250.

Congratulations to our Men’s section @ecclesrugbymen on achieving their £1000 target in support of #Movember Mens health. Thanks to all for your generocity. Donations are still welcome on this link https://t.co/HEwhdhToyG pic.twitter.com/xx3duda2ke

— Eccles RFC (@EcclesRugby) November 29, 2021

Many members of the clubs’ men’s section took part and they have received widespread support.

When setting up the cause, James didn’t expect the target to be reached so soon: “We’re usually pretty good at stuff like this, particularly if there’s some novelty about it, so I fully expected us to get to the £1,000, but I didn’t expect us to hit it so quickly.”

Movember usually focuses on prostate cancer, but the club chose to set a precedent of focusing on Men’s mental health as the main cause behind the fundraiser, to promote men speaking out about their emotions.

James felt this was very important given the stigma around men speaking about their emotions: “As part of the men’s section, we’ve got a large number of blokes, and it’s about trying to remove that stigma of if you’re not alright then you need to speak to someone.

“I think we’re quite forward-thinking in that respect as a men’s team, there’s a counsellor who works on-site and we do have those sorts of conversations.”

James also stated that the money raised “wasn’t important” and the main priority was about spreading awareness around men’s mental health.

Eccles Rugby Club is a big part of the community and regularly does these types of fundraisers, which Mr Wight praised: “It’s embedded in us as a club, we work hard to make sure it’s at the forefront when it can be, which is why we chose men’s mental health.”

You can find more information about the fundraiser here and donate too.