Need a sheep’s head or a new leg? Then get down to the charity shop

The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) revealed a top ten which also includes

a pair of canaries, a live ferret and a ventriloquist dummy.

Charities including Oxfam, Guide Dogs For The Blind and Cancer Research UK submitted items for inclusion.  

The donations have either been left at charity shops or bequeathed as legacies.

CAF works with more than 50,000 charities and helps 250,000 people give to good causes.

One of the most unusual items donated via a CAF charitable account was a Central London townhouse.

Items donated to different charities include a Doulton Faience ceramic vase which was spotted by valuers working for Oxfam.  

Known as a moon flask because of its shape, it was given to one of the charity's high street shops.  

The piece — dated from about 1890 — sold for £2,400 at auction in June 2016.

CAF research found that more than nine in ten people (88 per cent) have bought something from a charity shop.

The CAF top 10 list of unusual items donated to charity includes:

1. A sheep’s head (Sue Ryder)

2. A prosthetic leg (Emmaus)

3. A ventriloquist dummy (British Heart Foundation)

4. A Victoria Cross Medal (CAF)

5. Property (ranging from a townhouse in Central London to rural chocolate-box cottages)

6. A moon flask (Oxfam)

7. A pair of canaries (Cancer Research UK)

8. A live ferret (Blue Cross For Pets)

9. A wedding dress used in an episode of Coronation Street (Guide Dogs For The Blind)

10 A Kermit The Frog puppet from the 1970s

Joanna Walker, head of private clients at CAF, said: “People think about giving money, but it is fascinating to see all the surprising and strange items which have been donated to charities either via charity shops or bequeathed as legacies.

“Works of art and property can be hugely valuable to charities and provide enormous support for their work.  

“The popularity of vintage chic means that one person's junk may be a charity’s treasure and can be used again to provide vital resources for the causes we care about.

“People’s generous and unusual donations make charity shops and websites an amazing source of items to buy, helping people personalise their homes and supporting thousands of vital causes in the process.”