Charity in spin at music donation

Terry Hyde said the collection covered virtually every classical genre

Staff at a charity shop in Devon are in a spin after a record collection of about 4,000 classical music vinyl albums was donated to them.

The collection, given to Oxfam's shop in Tavistock, belonged to a widow in her 50s who wanted to remain anonymous. It had been her husband's.

The collection, worth an estimated £25,000, is the single biggest donation of music to the charity, Oxfam said.

Staff said the "remarkable" collection would stock the shop for three years.

A few records from the collection went on sale this week, and prices are expected to range from £1.99 to £150.

The collection itself covers every genre of classical music, from Bach and Haydn to modern composers including Cage and Reich. It also features rare recordings of Indian classical music and sitar music.

It's a small shop, I don't think we'll fit the whole collection in one go Jacky Theobald, Oxfam shop manager

Terry Hyde, an Oxfam volunteer who values music for the shop, said it was "amazing".

He said: "I can't think of a classical genre that's missing.

"It's all there: all your big figures from the 18th and 19th Century, your 20th Century unlistenable nightmares by Stockhausen, avant garde, opera, unaccompanied violin - virtually every genre is covered."

Shop manager Jacky Theobald said records would only be sold online after locals had had an opportunity to buy them.

She said: "It's a small shop, I don't think we'll fit the whole collection in one go. We'll do a Chopin week, a Mozart week, that sort of thing - we'll find a way around it."

"It is important for people who donate to actually see their gifts in the shop."

Mr Hyde added: "This is one person's life. But when it's sold it'll probably help save about 500 people's lives, because that's what we do: we're in the life-saving business."

Oxfam makes about £5m from the sale of film and music each year.

The charity recently received and sold a rare Rolling Stones demo single, a sheet of music signed by Vaughan Williams and a Handel musical score from 1786.