Camels beat chickens and goats in race for charity Christmas No 1

Cuddles and camels have emerged as serious contenders against the now traditional chickens and goats in a unprecedentedly crowded market for charity Christmas presents.

As donations fall in line with the economic downturn, fundraisers are offering everything from a shot of bull semen delivered to a Rwandan farmer for £10 to 100 snails to feed a Liberian family for £8. The Dogs Trust is asking £5 for one of its carers to "give a dog a cuddle", while for £20, the Collect and Destroy a Weapon Fund will destroy some pistols, rifles, grenades and submachine guns from a recent war zone; £75 cleans up cluster bombs and rocket launchers.

The top 10 charity gifts have been compiled from a search of more than 200 charities by the independent charities watchdog Intelligent Giving.



Oxfam's £95 camels come top because, Intelligent Giving says, they "provide a whole host of services to their owners: you can ride them, and even us their dung for fertiliser".

Second are fish cages, bamboo and netting enclosures which enable flood-prone Bangladeshis to breed fish. They cost £20 and are supplied by Practical Action.

"The goat and the chicken have become part of the fabric of Christmas," said Lindsay Boswell, director of the Institute of Fundraising. "But charities are trying to stand out among shoppers who are looking for ever more original gifts and that is what we are seeing this year."

Top 10

1: Camel £95, Oxfam

2: Fish cages£20, Practical Action

3: Destroy recent war-zone guns £20-£75, Good Gifts

4: Pineapple plants £13, Concern

5: Give a dog a cuddle £5, Dogs Trust

6: Girl's school uniform £20, World Vision

7: Sponsor a brain cell for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's research £15, Good Gifts

8: 100 snails for Liberian family £8, Samaritan's Purse

9: Heart repair kit for stem cell research £40, British Heart Foundation

10: Sea boots £36, RNLI