A BARRHEAD man who lost his dad to prostate cancer has done his bit for men’s health by growing a moustache for a month. 

For Bryan Dando, the Movember cause holds extra significance after he tragically lost his dad 14 years ago. 

As well as sporting the facial hair, Bryan, who works as a community regeneration officer for Barrhead Housing Association (BHA), took part in the Movember Glasgow 10k last month.

The bid to raise awareness of men’s health issues was part of BHA’s commitment to Healthy Working Lives, a national campaign designed to encourage a health conscious approach in the workplace. 

Bryan was just one of five million men and women around the world who joined together to help stop men dying young.  

Bryan, 36, told the Barrhead News it is the passing of his father, David, that has inspired him to continue to raise awareness of men’s health issues. 

He said: “This is something really close to my heart as my father passed away from prostate cancer at just 50. 

“That’s why I do it and I think it is really important to try and continue to raise awareness. 

“I take part in the campaign every couple of years but decided this would be a chance to try something different. So, rather than the usual moustache, I went all-in and grew the handlebar one.”

Thanks to the support of everyone, Bryan has raised £273 with some donations still to come in. 

Having only had an initial target of £50, the Cardiff native was delighted to smash his goal.
But, not everyone was a fan of the moustache – his wife Claire was delighted when December 1 came around. 

Bryan continued: “Now that I have the moustache off, she is finally speaking to me again.

“I shaved it off on December 1, much to the relief of Claire.

“It is such an important thing to try to continue to raise awareness [of men’s health] and try to keep it at the forefront of people’s minds.

“I am just so thankful to everyone who took time to donate money to the cause, especially at this time of year when things can be tight.

“I only set out to raise £50 but donations just snowballed and it is so great that people are kind enough to part with their hard-earned cash.”

Established in 2003, the Movember Foundation has helped to fund more than 1,500 men’s health projects around the world. 

As one of the leading voices in the fight for men’s health, Movember addresses prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health and suicide prevention.

The charity aims to reduce the number of men dying prematurely by 25 per cent by 2030. 
One of the men’s biggest killers is prostate cancer, as more than 3,000 males in Scotland diagnosed with the disease each year. 

Thanks to men and women like Bryan, the Movember campaign aims to reduce the number of deaths. 

Bryan added: “I just want to say thanks to everybody who supported me – especially my wife and my colleagues and friends.”