Learning assistant Reece raises £500 for autism charity by shaving off beloved beard – smashing his £75 target

Brockenhurst College Special Educational Needs (SEN) learning assistant Reece Wells has raised £500 for people with autism by shaving off his considerable beard.

The staff member from New Milton said he was overjoyed to have raised £500 from 32 generous well-wishers, having initially aimed for £75.

Reece, who was instantly recognisable by his facial fuzz, picked up the scissors and razor on April 2^nd, which was World Autism Awareness Day.

The money will be donated to the National Autistic Society, which runs a series of initiatives to help people with autism.

At the end of his video, which you can see below, Reece said: “Thank you to everyone who donated – I’ve absolutely smashed my target.”

On his JustGiving page, Reece explained: “I have seen a variety of challenges that these young people (with autism) have to go through at various different points in their schooling lives – whether it be transitions to a new school or accessing mainstream education for the first time in their lives.”

You can still donate at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/autism-awareness-beard-shave