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Men’s Day Out 2024

22nd March 2024/inNews, blog, latest news

Reaching new heights at our Men’s Day Out

Scarecrows, penguins and traffic cones…our Men’s Day Out has seen it all. That is until now. A group of men from Plymouth will be bringing a touch of adrenaline to the day as they will be doing the walk dressed as a rollercoaster.

Yes you heard that correctly, Mark Heppell and his five teammates (Keith Gibson, Neil Gibson,  Billy Gibson, Darren Jeffery and Jonny Symons) are no strangers to donning fancy dress to our annual charity walk. For the last few years the group have completed the walk dressed in an array of costumes from Scooby Doo characters to famous Georges to Oompa Loompas, but this year marks a new first. The six will all be dressed as a seat on a rollercoaster, complete with a pair of fake legs.

Every year one of the group comes up with an idea for the fancy dress for that year. Team member Keith suggested the unusual fancy dress after seeing a video online.

Knowing the temperamental British weather, the team decided to make the costumes out of plywood instead of cardboard to ensure that if the rain hits, it will go the distance.

Sharing stories at Men’s Day Out

Aside from the fancy dress though, the men will be using our Men’s Day Out on Saturday 6 April as an opportunity to catch up. Now in their 50’s, Mark, Darren and Keith have been friends since the age of 17, so look forward to a day of banter, laughter and conversation, while sharing their stories with others.

“We’ve all got stories, we’ve all got someone we’ve lost to the dreaded C word,” said Mark. “It’s a chance to catch up and remember the people we have lost. For me as I’ve lost my dad and some of the other guys have also lost loved ones, we use it as a day to catch up and remember them.

“It’s been ten years since my dad died, it gets easier but you never forget.

“When you’re out and about talking to people, everybody’s got someone who has been cared for by St Luke’s, whether it is a family member or a friend. Even though you never forget them, it’s a brilliant day out and it might sound a bit cliché but it’s a really good excuse for us to catch up.”

Men’s Day Out’s tenth anniversary

If you spot the guys on the day with their orange buckets in hand then make sure to show your support by giving a small donation. It is the money raised in sponsorship from the day that allows us to continue delivering our care at home, in hospital and at our specialist unit.

2024 marks the tenth anniversary of Men’s Day Out. In that decade we have gone from 574 men in 20145 to 2,200 predicted to take part this year and have raised an incredible £887,846 for our patient care. We can’t be complacent though as it costs over £11 million to run our services each year, so every penny matters.

Making a difference to St Luke’s patients is a fantastic incentive, and – thanks to big-hearted Salcombe Brewery’s continued support for Men’s Day Out – there are some extra treats on offer.

As your reward for crossing the finishing line at Plymouth Albion RFC, you’ll not only have your choice of either Atlas session IPA or Breeze session lager (or soft drink if you’re under 18), you’ll get an extra free can if you’ve given in over £100 in sponsorship or provided proof that your JustGiving page has hit this total. But that’s not all! You’ll also be entered into a draw to win a family ticket to an Albion match as well as a tour of Salcombe Brewery.

Register for Men’s Day Out now

It’s not too late to sign up for our Men’s Day Out, sponsored by JEM Scaffolding Ltd. So don’t delay and sign up today!

Register for Men’s Day Out

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