A beard of many colours: Martin’s year-long charity challenge
Retired gas fitter and Mickleover Golf Club member, Martin Wright from Burton on Trent, is turning heads and raising funds, one colourful beard at a time.
In support of Derby & Burton Hospitals Charity, Martin has committed to dyeing his beard a different colour every month from April 2025 to March 2026. His unique idea was inspired by Mickleover Golf Club selecting the hospital charity as their Captain’s Charity this financial year.
“I wanted to do something a bit different that would get people talking – and donating!” says Martin.
Colourful commitment
Martin kicked off his challenge in April with a bold yellow beard, followed by green in May and is now rocking a striking pink for June. Each colour change has sparked conversation and curiosity, often leading to donations.
“If someone is looking, I tell them why my beard is bright green or pink and most of the time they’re happy to support the cause,” Martin explains.
He’s already received a £150 donation to go pink for June and is open to more colour requests in exchange for contributions. The beard dye itself is no small commitment, requiring a careful paint-on process every 2–3 days. Martin’s getting clever with his colour choices by starting light and moving toward darker shades over the year.
Beyond the beard
Martin isn’t stopping with his monthly beard transformations. He’s also sharing his fundraising link at every opportunity and encouraging others to support the hospital charity however they can. His motivation grew even stronger after a recent personal experience.
“I was rushed to Queen’s Hospital in Burton with a suspected heart attack,” Martin shares. “The care was incredible. You just never know when you’ll need your local hospital. Telling the staff about the beard helped lighten the mood too!”
A Message from the Charity
Jill Matthews, Chief Officer at Derby & Burton Hospitals Charity, said:
“We’re always inspired by the creativity and generosity of our fundraisers. Martin’s colourful commitment is not only raising vital funds but it also brings smiles across the community. I’d like to thank Martin and everyone who is supporting him – I, myself, can’t wait to see what colour comes next, perhaps one of our charity colours!”
Support Martin’s colourful cause
If you’d like to sponsor Martin and support our charity, which supports hospitals in Derby, Derbyshire and Staffordshire, please visit his JustGiving page here: https://bit.ly/martin-beard-donate
From all of us at Derby & Burton Hospitals Charity, a huge thank you to Martin for his dedication, creativity and commitment. We can’t wait to follow along each month and see which colour comes next! We’ll be sharing Martin’s monthly beard updates via social media so be sure to follow us for the latest.
