By Leicester Mercury | Posted: 03 November, 2014
A pair of Queen Victoria’s stockings, sex toys and a hutch containing a dead rabbit are among the most unusual items that have been donated to charity shops across the city and county.
This year the British Red Cross is celebrating 100 years since its first charity shop opened. It is running a stock drive to celebrate this anniversary. The British Red Cross itself was founded in 1870.
Over the years, the British Red Cross has had a range of weird and wonderful items donated to its stores.
The most unusual items handed in at its Hinckley store, in Station Road includes a First World War helmet, medals and tribal masks.
Nationally the items donated to the charity include oil paintings, a 26-foot yacht, which was sold at auction for almost £10,000, and a large unopened jar of udder cream.
Beverley Lowe, 57, who has been volunteering at the Red Cross, in Hinckley for seven years, said she liked the mystery of not knowing what would be found in the bags and boxes donated.
“It is really quite good that you never know what is going to come through the door.
“It is amazing what sorts of things come in.”
She said a First World War helmet was sold about six months ago.
Many more quirky items have been donated to charity shops across Leicester and Leicestershire.
Jonathan Capewell, LOROS trading manager, said: “We were once donated a pair of Queen Victoria’s stocking. They had washing instructions on them in German.”
He added that it happened about eight years ago. LOROS was contacted directly by a woman who was related to one of Queen Victoria’s ladies in waiting and the item had stayed in the family until then.
He added: “About three years ago we were donated a grandfather clock. We sold that in Oakham for £1500. That was a good one.”
He said the clock was from the 1820s.
Jonathan added that about six or seven years ago a man left a hutch with a dead rabbit in outside LOROS in Uppingham Road.
He added that on average about 3,700 boxes or bags were donated to LOROS every week over Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
“If you speak to one of our volunteers they say one of the fun things is you don’t know what you are going to find.
“People often turn up and say ‘you probably won’t want this’ and they turn out to be the most interesting and more valuable items.”
Jenna Mowbray, manager of Age UK in Charles Street, said: “We have had sex toys donated - that is one of the strangest things. We have had stuffed animals that look real, and tins of food including the odd tin of beans.”
