A victorian trophy found in an attic in Wantage will be auctioned in aid of the town's crumbling almshouses.

A local resident, who wants to remain anonymous, donated the ornate silver tankard worth thousands of pounds to Wantage's Town Land Governors to help with their appeal.

The 13 governors launched the appeal for £378,000 last October to secure the future of the Mill Street almshouses.

Money is needed to fix six of the eight Grade II listed properties - some of which are 140 years old. So far only £38,000 has been raised.

The donor said his great-grandfather won the harecoursing trophy in 1842 with his greyhound Wedlock.

He said: "It's a lovely trophy, a beautiful thing and it was quite a prestigious competition to win. I hope they get as much as they possibly can for it. It would be nice if there was a local buyer because it would be a shame if it moved out of the area.

"I found it in the attic and I knew the governors were short of funds so I thought it would be nice to donate it to them."

The 11in tall tankard was made by Robert Garrard, the Crown Jeweller, in 1844. It will be auctioned at Bonhams in London on July 2.