A full-sized sword was awarded as the Most Unusual Item Donated at the Charity Retail Awards last night, trumping a host of curiosities from an urn full of ashes to a preserved badger's penis.

Held at the Keele Conference Centre and hosted by the Charity Retail Association, the awards celebrate and motivate charity performance with twelve off-beat awards, including Most Supportive Supplier to the Sector, the WOW! Factor Award for best shop window, and the Most Unusual Item sold. 

Warren Alexander, chief executive of the CRA said that the Awards were a great way of recognising the work and the dedication of people working in charity shops: “Paid staff and volunteers working together raise about £140m a year for charity. It’s a great example of people’s generosity of spirit, willingness to muck in and their enthusiasm for their charities. Charity shops are making a huge contribution to keeping high streets alive, drawing in customers and donors and becoming a hive of activity,” he said.

The winning sword was donated to a St Barnabas and Chestnut Tree House Hospice shop by an elderly woman who "had no use for it anymore". Its competitors included two goldfish in a bag of water, a collection of preserved animal body parts, including one labelled as a badger's penis, and a WW2 German tank operator's helmet.

Charity Retail Awards winners 2011:

Most Unusual Item: full-sized sword donated to a St Barnabas and Chestnut Tree House Hospice

Most Valuable Item for charities with less than 100 shops: late 18th century carved bird, sold by Farleigh Hospice shop in Essex for £12,500

Most Valuable Item for charities with more than 100 shops: an 1864 photo album by French photographer Esteban Gonnet, raising £14,000 for Oxfam

Young Volunteer of the Year: 17-year-old Freya Heaton, Sue Ryder in Peterborough.

Charity Shop Volunteer of the Year: 80-year-old William Norquoy, Barnardo's Aberdeen

Retail Staff Member of the Year: Wendy Evans, St Peter's Hospice shop, Long Ashton, Bristol

Shop Team of the Year: Barnsley Hospice shop, Barnsley

Innovation in Charity Retailing: Teeside Hospice shop, collected veg from local suppliers to sell in shop and now has its own allotment run by local offenders

The Green Initiative Award: St Catherine's Hospice for using broken vintage jewellery to make new pieces to sell at fairs

Most Supportive Supplier: Cybertill, nominated by Dove House Hospice, Hull for providing affordable EPoS systems