AS the manager of the Oxfam Bookshop in Tavistock , and on behalf of the manager of the Oxfam main shop in West Street, I would like to offer great thanks to the community of the town and its surrounding area and all those who have contributed to the 'community recycling' that the shop provides.

All the books and sheet music sold in the bookshop are donated from local people, items at the end of their life at that point in time.

The volunteers at the bookshop put much time and care into receiving, sorting, cleaning, pricing and ultimately selling a huge number of these books, finding them new homes, giving them new lives and new owners who will derive new pleasures from them.

Thank you, therefore, to all our donors and to all our customers for making this cycle work so well. Some of the books even come back again for another rehoming exercise, we can tell from our original annotations!

The support we have had does not stop there however. We need to thank those that have given us jiffy envelopes, and carrier bags when we needed them, both items that build up at home just waiting for another life and difficult to 'throw away'. We have also been passed surplus pens, half-used notebooks, ring binders, chairs for our tea breaks and even a no longer needed music system. All items currently being put to very good use.

Please help us to continue to recycle in 2013. Between the bookshop and the main shop in West Street, Oxfam can help divert much from landfill and can recycle an amazing amount within our own community.

Val Sharpe