I work at a charity run special needs unit for children on the autistic spectrum, where one of my roles is co-ordinating all the music based activities.

we have found that for some of our students, bashing away at a drum kit is a really good way of helping them cope with their anxiety.

 we have an old drum kit that is perfect for this, but unfortunately the only room available to house it also contains other stuff that means it has to be kept under lock and key and cannot be used withoput staff supervision

 this means that often the students cannot access their calming  strategy at the times when they most need it.

I am looking to try and raise the money to create a "noisy room " by either adapting an existing outbuilding or purchasing a shed and soundproofing it to make the drumkit and/or a room where they can play loud music without bothering anyone else and without needing to have staff locate keys and monitor the room.

 I have been growing my beard now for over a year and at this years annual Spring Concert I am going to cut it off to raise money for the noisy room.

each pound donated gets one vote as to what beard I sport afterwards, whichever wins the most votes is the beard or moustache that I am going to wear for the first two weeks of next term.

 so vote now to make me look ridiculous and help us make some noise!

dont forget to include the name of the style you want in the comment when you make a donation