There has been jubilation and celebration in school after we were awarded the lifetime achievement award ‘Services to the Mo’ in the 2024 National Movember Awards at a glitzy ceremony held at EartH, London on 22 February.
The ‘Mo’ Awards are the charity’s way of saying ‘thank you’ and recognising the top fundraisers that year. Over 350 fundraisers gathered for this year’s ceremony to celebrate a hugely successful 2023 campaign. The night was hosted by Welsh television presenter, Movember ambassador and voice of an angel, Matt Johnson, who also presented the awards.
‘Services to the Mo’ was awarded to Bedford School for showing ultimate dedication to the Mo.
Bedford School is no stranger to the Mo Awards, having been nominated in previous years. Our MoBros of 2021 received a special recognition trophy for raising over £25,000 and, in 2020, our very own ‘MoSista’, Mrs Susie Spyropoulos, scooped the MoSista award for her dedication going back to 2010, when the school joined the campaign.
Read: Our ‘MoSista’ Scoops National Award and Movember Fundraising Recognition.
This time it was Mrs Vicky Marriott, Master in Charge of Charities, receive the award on behalf of every individual who has engaged with the school’s Movember campaigns since 2010.
Mrs Marriott explained, “It’s a real accolade to be recognised nationally for the last 13 years of Movember campaigning. I couldn’t be prouder of everything the MoBros and the Bedford community have achieved during this time, and it was a real honour to be accepting the award on behalf of everyone. I was overwhelmed with the range of people who came to congratulate us, not only from schools and universities, but also from businesses who followed our campaigns each year.”
The 2023 MoBros
Since 2010, Bedford School has raised over £150,000 in support of Movember and, has raised awareness of the charity and educated people on how men can keep check of both their mental and physical health.
The charity remarked, “Everyone who took part in Movember in 2023 should hold their heads up high and walk tall – you are the people that will push the dial for the men’s health movement.”
Mrs Marriott went on to say, “The charity does a phenomenal amount in the fields of men’s physical and mental health, and it’s a real privilege for me to feel that I can help make some sort of contribution towards that. I love the buzz and energy of getting a group of students together, uniting them outside the classroom with a common goal of ‘having fun whilst doing good’ and supporting them in turning ideas to reality. Every year we raise the bar in terms of our hopes and expectations, and I am always astounded with what we achieve.”
“Boys can go into the world beyond Bedford armed with skills for life but also an understanding of how powerful ‘giving back’ can be.”
“To all MoBros past and present I would like to congratulate them on this epic achievement. To be recognised for our ongoing legacy is an honour and one that has come from the involvement of students, staff and parents over the last 13 years. This shows how important each year group has been in strengthening our legacy and, as role models how much influence we can have at a national level in raising awareness and messaging.”
