The most unusual item donated to charity shops in the past year was a one-foot-high meerkat called Alexander, made out of bubblewrap and sellotape.

Alexander took the top honour at the Association of Charity Shops’ annual awards ceremony held at the umbrella body’s annual conference in Keele this week.

He had been donated to the St Barnabas Hospice shop in Lincolnshire.

A home enema kit was runner-up in this category.

The most valuable item was a collection of 'albumen' prints of scenes from the Fijian islands in 1881 which sold at auction for £29,000 - almost double last year's most valuable item.