A handwritten letter from Florence Nightingale was discovered during a house clear-out for a charity shop.

Dozens of items are donated to Weldmar Hospicecare every day to sell at its charity shops across Dorset.

But the last thing the charity’s regional manager Bev Peck expected to find at the Chickerell home was a handwritten letter by the founder or modern nursing.

She said: “I get goose pimples whenever I talk about it. It’s such a piece of history. It fell out of a photograph album I found in the last box we were taking out of a room.”

She added: “The letter is a response to an invitation to an event and her letter explains that she would have liked to have gone but she can’t, because she’s not very well. Also, she’s very concerned about healthcare and wants to introduce district nurses so that children can be looked after properly and be trained to go out in the community and look after the very sick.”

Bev Peck praised the generous people who donate to the charity.

She said: “Quite honestly, it’s the people of Dorset who offer us the clearance of the houses of their loved ones that bring up these wonderful items. I love it!.”

The letter dates back to 1897 and was written in pencil. It has since been authenticated by antiquities collectibles specialist, Tim Medhurst, who stars in the BBC TV series Antiques Road Trip. He visited the charity’s inpatient unit in Dorchester to take a look and provide his expert opinion.

Mr Medhurst said: “She says in her letter that she’s been unwell at home for two years, and yet she is talking about going out and looking after other people and their sickness. It talks about beginning of life care, in clothing and feeding children but then also end of life care which is what Weldmar is all about.

“When it comes to value, with historical letters and signatures of famous people, it comes down to the content and why the were written - if she had mentioned soldiers on the front line, that would bring a big price. This letter has a lot of writing by Florence Nightingale, so I would imagine it could fetch up to £1,000. Well done Bev for finding it.”

Weldmar Hospicecare is a charity that provides end of life care for people living in Dorset who need our specialist support.

The charity provides free care and is reliant on public donations.