It was music to PDSA’s ears when an electric organ was donated to Huyton charity shop in Liverpool. The instrument was sold to a specialist collector in Germany who paid £700. A euphonium (tuba-like instrument), and a Fender guitar also fetched hundreds of pounds for the charity.

The shop survey also revealed that kinky Brits donated an assortment of risqué items, including vibrators, a penis enlarger manual and a leather whip. A very old condom, with a use by date of February 1975 was given to Kilburn shop in London and a bag of blue pills, suspected to be Viagra, was found in a carrier bag at Dover shop and hastily taken to a nearby pharmacy.

Some of the more saleable items included six Radley designer handbags, which were quickly snapped up by eager bargain hunters, raising over £300 at the Wellington shop in Shropshire. A large Canoe, including paddles sold for £30 at the Morriston shop in Wales, a collection of China dolls fetched £250 in Knowle and 500 golf balls sold for 20p each in Diss, Norfolk.

“Thankfully most items donated to PDSA shops are very saleable, including clothing, books, CDs and toys,” says PDSA Director of Retail, Andrew Holl. “All items sold raise vital funds to help treat sick and injured pets across the country.

“Some donations are rather strange to say the least and some leave our staff and volunteers a little red faced! This year is no exception. But on the whole, most of the donations we get through the door are extremely high quality, raising much needed funds for pets in need of vets.

“PDSA shops are a great place to shop for a bargain. We get a wide variety of donations, including designer clothing, handbags and rare collector items, as this survey proves. You never know what treasures you may find in your local PDSA shop.”

PDSA receives no government or lottery funding and relies on the kind donations of the public to support its vital veterinary work. PDSA’s retail network of 179 shops provides a vital source of income for the charity.

Anyone with good quality items to offer PDSA is asked to contact the charity’s Contact Centre on 0800 731 2502 or donate them to their local PDSA shop.

To find your local PDSA charity shop visit www.pdsa.org.uk