I WOULD like to offer my congratulations to Catherine Mumford and Diane Kelland for bravely having their heads shaved in support of a cancer sufferer. I hope they will be very successful with their sponsorship.

I am writing this having just shaved off my full beard in preparation for Movember which is an annual event to spark conversation and raise vital funds for men's health issues. Prostate cancer and testicular cancer are not high profile subjects in the press and whilst donations in the form of sponsorship are most welcome, just important is the raising of awareness of testicular cancer in younger men and prostate cancer in older men.

Since starting in 2003 the Movember community has provided £346 million to fund over 800 programmes in 21 countries. At the start of Movember, men take action by signing up with a clean shaven face and for the 30 days of November commit to growing a moustache, so if you see a man with a partly grown "mo" in November you will now know why.

Alun Davies

Via email