You may remember about 18 months ago we reported on Lamborghini's charitable work with Movember, the organisation based here in the UK and across the world that supports and advocates for men's health, in particular, men’s mental health, and research and breakthroughs into testicular cancer and prostate cancer.
But one other annual event that Movember is a charitable partner of has also returned for another year and took place this weekend just gone - its eleventh year, as a matter of fact. The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride was first started back in 2012 by Mark Hawwa, a classic car and motorcycle enthusiast from Sydney, Australia. The event is so called because, traditionally, those taking part in the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride will get dressed up to the nines in sharp suits to ride their classic bikes. The idea behind looking dapper in this way was Mark's idea, as he was keen to try and challenge the negative stereotypes that are associated with men who ride motorcycles.
Over 2500 riders took part in the first event, in over 64 cities across the globe. This struck a light bulb moment for Mark, who realised it could be an annual event with a wider purpose. Movember came on board as a charitable partner for the event in 2016, and has continued to be since.
In all, the events have not only established a global community of motorcycle enthusiasts in over 1000 cities, all with the desire to help improve and change men's health for the better, but the events have raised an incredible AUD $50m (£26.6m) for Movember to date.
The 2023 event took place yesterday (Sunday 21st May), and it looks as if it was another great success. Amongst the projects that The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride is raising funds for is The Veterans and First Responders Mental Health Program, which aims to improve and support the mental health of military veterans, firefighters, paramedics and police officers, who studies have shown are at increased risk of poor mental health and suicide.
Not only this, but projects are also being funded for registries of information to help improve best care practices for clinicians looking after men with prostate cancer on diagnosis and before and after treatment, and the DGR Social Connections Challenge, that is looking to help build stronger communities of riders globally who can work together to improve wellbeing.
To find out more about Movember and The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride, you can visit the Movember website today, where you can also find resources for you or another man in your life who needs support and advice on mental health and suicide prevention, testicular cancer and prostate cancer.
