A donation of more than 100 wedding dresses, worth thousands of pounds, has given an unexpected boost to a charity.

The gowns were gifted by an unnamed customer who has been forced to close her bridal shop because of ill-health.

The woman called the Chatham branch of the British Heart Foundation and the collection of about 120 dresses was delivered to the High Street store last week.

Manager Michelle Maidstone split up the consignment, ranging from second-hand gowns to high-end designer labels, between her shop and branches in Gillingham and Maidstone.

On the first day on sale in Chatham, a retailer snapped up a bulk buy of 28 dresses costing around £5,000.

And since it has been posted on social media, interest has grown from soon-to-be brides across north Kent.

Michelle said: "It was a big surprise and a massive boost for the charity. We took more in one day than we do in a week.

"We are selling them for half the price, so a dress for £299 is going for £149 and the higher end – apparently there are some Hugo Boss designs included – are going for about £300.

"Second-hand dresses are proving more popular these days. A brand new dress can cost thousands whereas you can pick up a second-hand one which looks just as good for a fraction of the price."

Michelle would not identify the name of the customer and would only say she had "donated historically" to the charity and wanted to dispense of the goods quickly.

She added the donor had also used the Gift Aid scheme meaning the charity can claim an extra 25p for every £1 made from the dresses.

Fran, who runs the shop in Gillingham High Street, said : "We've had a lot of interest.

"We are currently having a makeover here and we have had to reopen our changing room.

"They arrived in three very large boxes and we have been unable to put them all out because of the space."