Oxfam uses Lennon budgie sketch

John Lennon originally used The Fat Budgie in a book

A Christmas card designed by Beatle John Lennon has been reprinted to mark the 50th anniversary of seasonal cards for the charity Oxfam.

The yellow card depicting a bird, entitled The Fat Budgie, was first available as an Oxfam Christmas card in 1965, at the height of Beatlemania.

It is now being sold again in Oxfam shops as a limited edition.

Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, has ordered 200 of the cards to send to her friends and family.

Oxfam Christmas cards have raised £56m for the charity over the past 50 years since first being made available in 1957.

Ms Ono, who gave Oxfam permission to reprint the card, said her late husband, who died in 1980, would have been pleased at his sketch being used again.

She said: "John supported Oxfam so it is wonderful that his illustration can continue to help Oxfam in its important work.

"He would have been happy that Oxfam wanted to reprint his design to mark such an important occasion and I hope people will enjoy buying, sending and receiving his cards this Christmas."

Oxfam took the illustration, with Lennon's permission, from his best-selling book, A Spaniard in the Works.