Mark Woods has been growing his beard since March and has launched a fundraising campaign to raise £5,000.

The CEO of Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust (CMAT) is asking the public when he should shave his long beard to raise money for Sue Ryder’s Thorpe Hall Hospice.

He has been growing his beard since March and has launched a fundraising campaign to raise £5,000 for Sue Ryder’s Thorpe Hall Hospice.

CMAT is the trust that runs Sawtry Village College and primary school.

This is in honour of Martin Bacon, the founder and former CEO of CMAT, who received care at the hospice before passing away in 2013. Mark said: “I created the fundraising campaign as a fun way for our community to come together and, most importantly, raise money for a cause that is close to our hearts at CMAT.”

Nilesh Patel, senior community fundraiser at Thorpe Hall Hospice, said: “A big thank you to Mark and the team for supporting Sue Ryder through this fun and inventive campaign – it’s a real grower,”

The public has until 6pm on Wednesday September 30 to decide and can vote by visiting: www.justgiving.com/team/cmatbeard.