AS this month has progressed, Jersey has played host to – quite literally – a growing population of moustaches.

Men throughout the Island have been sprouting whiskers in a wide variety of styles. The Dali, the Groucho, the Kaiser Bill, the Charlie Chaplin and the Jimmy Edwards handlebar might have been in relatively short supply, but there have been plenty of Merv Hughes specials, some Zappas and even a few Poirots.

So what is this all about and why have whole offices and other places of work engaged a collective drive to decorate their upper lips?

Well, as many Islanders will be aware, this is Movember as well as November, the period during which a form of facial hair which is far less popular today than was once the case is cultivated to draw attention to prostate cancer, a condition which affects an alarming number of men.

But Movember is not only about publicity – it also raises significant amounts of money for the scientific battle against prostate cancer.

At a weekend event at the Forum Bar, Adam Woodworth, who managed to grow a very Victorian tache with branch lines joining up with his sideboards, was voted Mr Movember.

He will no doubt treasure the title, but he should be regarded as no more than first among equals – his equals being the many others who put up with the early itchy phase of moustache culture to achieve a respectable level of hirsuitness, no doubt braving a certain amount of teasing in the process.

Of course, when December arrives in a few days’ time, many hands will be reaching for razors and sales of razor blades will soar, but by then the good work will have been accomplished and countless bristles will not be sacrificed in vain. Their demise can be seen as the culmination of a very amusing, successful and important publicity initiative.

However, although Movember’s moustache-growing includes a major element of fun, the seriousness of the underlying message must not be obscured. Prostate cancer is still a ‘silent killer’ and too many men remain unaware that it could be creeping up on them.

Thanks to modern techniques, cures are possible, but the earlier the condition is detected, the better the chances of full recovery. With this in mind, the key piece of advice offered by the Movember campaign is this – checks, monitoring and, if necessary, early intervention are a high road to wellbeing.