Skittlers have raised nearly £2,000 for men’s mental health charity event Movember.

The Whistlers are a local skittles team based in Weymouth and, since 2011 they’ve met nearly every week at The Star to participate in the pub sport.

Many members are friends from school/early adulthood and over the years the group has expanded to include new friends, old friends, and their own sons.

This month, they are gathering for a different cause – to raise money for a global mental health charity.

Movember aims to challenge the stigma towards men’s mental health by encouraging men to grow moustaches for the entirety of November without shaving.

Participants can also take part in other fundraising projects in a bid to raise awareness for men’s health issues like prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and male suicide.

Not only have 14 members of the "Whistlers” grown full moustaches, but they have also challenged themselves to cover 500 miles by walking, cycling, and swimming.

While not all the team can participate in the challenge due to work dress codes, they are still making donations to Movember.

Team member Matthew Rees, said: “I’m a mental health worker for the NHS, so I know how important it is to talk, to look after yourself and to check yourself over for signs of Prostate or Testicular cancer.

"I think it’s really important to get conversations going, to check in with each other and with our challenges we’ve actually got conversations going amongst ourselves."

He said the 500 miles has been split up amongst the Whistlers and logged on Strava – a fitness tracking service that is connected to the Movember app.

Team members can thus complete an activity individually and the app automatically updates the running total.

Mr Rees said the group regularly meet up to go swimming, boosting team morale while also checking in with each other.

“The more groups of mates that do this the better because you’re raising awareness for a good cause. The results can only be positive. Without the stigma the world would be a better place.”

To find out more about the group and to see their progress, check out their fundraising page on the Movember website.