A BAG of grass cuttings, a suitcase of dog food, and a bath with a hole in it - those are some of the unusual items donated to Age Cymru’s charity shops this year.

Other extraordinary items given to the charity over the last 12 months include false teeth, a single shoe and out-of-date food.

Age Cymru is today publishing a list of unusual goods it has received as it launches an appeal for donations for its Monmouth shop.

“It is interesting to see sometimes what member of the public think will constitute re-saleable items,” says the charity’s Richard Nicholls.

“But with the rising cost of waste we need to ensure charity shops are not used as dumping grounds.

“Over the last 12 months some of the more collectable and certainly sellable items we’ve had donated include a piano; a Fender electric guitar; an antique WW1 surveying detector, and of course we regularly get designer clothing donated.

“We never know what we’re going to see coming through the doors and we do get items that take us by surprise – including false teeth and single shoes – which would be very difficult to re-sell.

“We’ve also had a bag of grass cuttings that someone obviously meant to throw out, but must have mixed up with one of our donation bags and mistakenly ended up giving to us instead – although it meant additional work for us to deal with – we did manage to have a good chuckle about that.”

Age Cymru shops sell a wide range of pre-loved goods - clothes, books, CDs and DVDs, bric-a-brac and toys and every shop is as unique as its stock.

For more information about Age Cymru’s charity shops, visit www.agecymru.org.uk/shops or ring 029 2043 1555.

Unusual items donated to Age Cymru shops:

1. A bag of grass cuttings;

2. A suitcase full of dog food;

3. False teeth;

4. A toilet seat;

5. A toilet;

6. One single shoe;

7. A bath with a hole in it;

8. Out-of-date food;

9. A used toilet brush;

10. A bag of household rubbish;

Age Cymru is Wales’ largest charity for older people – it works nationally and locally through its network of independent local Age Cymru partners.

Age Cymru is committed to achieving an age friendly Wales where older people have equal rights to respect, opportunities and the same access to services as the rest of the population.