Mystery £1k donation posted through Bristol charity's letterbox

Staff at a charity in Bristol say they were "knocked off their chairs" after finding a wad of old £20 notes totalling more than £1,000 posted through their letterbox.

The charity, which supports parents and carers of autistic children, received the money anonymously by post on 4 June.

Jade Page, the charity's Parent Support Manager, found the donation while she was sifting through the post.

"On Tuesday afternoon I collected our post from reception as normal. One envelope was sellotaped up and difficult to open, I very nearly ripped it" she said.

"Out spilled £1,020 all in old £20 bank notes. In my excitement I didn't spot they were old notes. This was the first thing one of my finance colleagues noticed.

"I checked with the reception team and the envelope definitely came in with the usual post. There was no postmark on it, although it was stamped and had a small mark over the stamp suggesting it was posted.

"I rushed to get the post office before they close and was thrilled when they confirmed the notes were real and could be paid in.

"A wonderful surprise for us as a small charity where donations make a huge difference."

The charity says the donation will go towards supporting its working including free in-person support, a helpline, training and information sessions and family events.

Bristol Autism Support is the third charity in the region to receive such a donation, following Marie Curie in Bristol last month and the RNLI in Portishead in April.