RAILWAY enthusiasts will be interested to hear that Tavistock's Oxfam Bookshop recently received an anonymous donation of a large number of railway and train books.

The books were all placed in the shop's 'Book Bank' recycling area in Morrisons car park.

They are all in good condition and the majority are about specific railway lines, mainly pre-Beeching and including many local lines such as Plymouth to Turnchapel, the Yealmpton branch and the Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway and Lee Valley Railway.

The books will be forming a window display at the shop but will all be for sale.

Bookshop manager Val Sharpe said: 'These books are a real slice of railway history and it is so good to see so many local lines that we have forgotten.

'The person who has given them to Oxfam has given us a wonderful opportunity to pass them on and raise money for Oxfam. One regular customer, who is known to be a train enthusiast, has already given us £50 for a number of the books. Whoever put them in the book bank, we thank you greatly.'

Volunteers empty the book bank at Morrisons twice a week, so if anyone has books to donate and cannot get to the shop, then they will still be collected and valued. If donations are brought to the shop, then they can also be gift aided, allowing Oxfam to raise an extra 25p for every pound of the sale price.