Bangor University’s Rugby League team have raised £1,140 for the men’s health charity ‘Oddballs’ and Mind, who tackle testicular cancer and mental health respectively; 16 members of the team took part in Bangor’s annual Half-Marathon, held on 6th October.
The club chose to raise money and awareness for two charities they believe to be very important. The Oddballs Foundation is an organisation set up in 2016 to raise awareness for testicular cancer and aim to make a difference to male health around the world. Testicular cancer is around 95% curable, making early diagnosis and regular checking important.
Another reason for choosing Oddballs Foundation is because of their close association with the sport of Rugby. Testicular cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in young men (ages 15-34) – coinciding with the ages that people generally play the sport.
The second charity supported by the team was ‘Mind’ which aims to provide support for anyone experiencing mental health problems. Mind also campaigns to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding of mental health problems. Thanks to mind millions of people nationally and locally have access to advice and support, however Mind still need our support in helping raise money to continue this crucial service.
A spokesperson from the team said: “Many of the team have had personal experience with people who struggle with mental health issues so we felt it was an important cause to support.”
The spokesperson added: “On the race day itself we had a great result with one of our members being the fastest in his age category, and some huge efforts by forwards who don’t like running too much! The lads who took part all showed great team spirit and did the team proud.“
All the money will be split between the two charities, if you would still like to donate Click Here
Photo: Seren. Bangor University Students’ Union’s English Language Newspaper
