A THORNBURY man is aiming to bring a smile to children’s faces by growing a green goatee beard in exchange for Christmas presents for charity.

In exchange for growing the beard throughout November, Martyn Bennett asked for for donations of presents, which would go to children supported by UK children’s charity Barnardo’s.

His pledge was inspired by the popular Movember campaign, instead calling it “Growvember”, and has now received over 200 toys and presents.

The idea itself came from a comment made by the younger sister of a colleague at National Windscreen in Bristol, where Mr Bennett works, about how excited she was about the thought of a child opening a present that she had donated through a toy scheme.

Mr Bennett said: “Selecting a gift and imagining the pleasure that it will bring to a child is a great feeling. In a way, it’s more personal than donating money and reiterates that Christmas is about giving. 

“One member of staff said that he was going to take his own children shopping for the toys so that on Christmas Day when they are opening their presents, they will be able to remember the toys they had bought for other children.”

Mr Bennett has lived up to an agreement that if the pledge passed 200 presents, he would dye the beard “Barnardo’s green”.

He said: “It’s just a really nice way of sharing a bit of Christmas spirit with young people that really need a bit of sunshine in their lives. 

“I have never grown any kind of beard before and I thought it would be a fun way of supporting this great cause. 

“It’s certainly made a few people chuckle over the past month and dying it green was a fitting way of finishing before I shaved it off again!”