Six friends team up to run and walk 600 miles to raise £2,000 for testicular cancer charity Oddballs Foundation

YOUNG men joined forces to cover nearly 600 miles on foot for a challenge raising more than £2,000 for a testicular cancer charity.
By Belinda Dickins
Published 18th May 2021, 14:47 GMT
A group of friends from Portsmouth have covered nearly 600 miles on foot in the past month, raising over £2,000 for the Oddballs Foundation. Pictured: Haydn Bula, Stuart Mott, Joss Whittingham, Michael Wells, Luke Harry and Oliver JamesA group of friends from Portsmouth have covered nearly 600 miles on foot in the past month, raising over £2,000 for the Oddballs Foundation. Pictured: Haydn Bula, Stuart Mott, Joss Whittingham, Michael Wells, Luke Harry and Oliver James
A group of friends from Portsmouth have covered nearly 600 miles on foot in the past month, raising over £2,000 for the Oddballs Foundation. Pictured: Haydn Bula, Stuart Mott, Joss Whittingham, Michael Wells, Luke Harry and Oliver James

Six friends from the HJOMSL Society, a name which comes from their initials, took up the task of running or walking 574 miles around the Portsmouth area over the course of a month.

Haydn Bula Joss Whittingham, Oliver James, Michael Wells, Stuart Mott and Luke Harry established the HJOMSL Society in 2011 to participate in sports and social events.

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They also gather funds for men’s charities and raise awareness for men’s health and mental wellbeing, with this latest effort supporting testicular cancer charity The Oddballs Foundation.

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This task saw the team of young lads test the limits of their physical capability and fitness, raising more than £2,000 for the charity which raises awareness of the disease and how early detection can make it treatable and even curable.

After completing the task, 28-year-old Haydn told his colleagues at Barratt Homes about his achievement, and the company agreed to match the amount to bring the grand total to £2,118.

Swanmore resident Haydn, a sales adviser at the New Quarter development in Bordon, said: ‘The Oddballs Foundation is making a difference to male health around the world, and this support will be of huge benefit. I’m so grateful to Barratt Homes for matching our final donation amount.

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‘We were all pushed to the extreme, but with will and determination we not only met our 500-mile target but smashed it and reached 574 miles. Thank you to all those who sponsored us.’

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The group, who all grew up around Portsmouth, Fareham and Whiteley, walked or ran anywhere they could over the course of a month, tracking their progress and sometimes video calling each other while they were exercising for moral support.

Tammy Bishop, sales director at Barratt Homes Southampton Division, said: ‘When we heard that Haydn and his friends were embarking on this trek for charity, we had to help out.

‘Barratt Homes is committed to supporting charities in the region, and to find out that one of our employees was doing the same, is great to hear – massive congratulations to them all.’

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