Celebs support M&S and Oxfam's South West campaign

Celebrity mums Joanna Lumley, Abbey Clancy and Zoe Ball recently joined forces to launch ‘Love, Mum’, a new joint campaign from Marks & Spencer (M&S) and Oxfam to raise money for mothers in living poverty around the world.

The ‘Love, Mum’ campaign is calling on the nation to shwop - not bin - unwanted childrenswear items, of any brand, to M&S stores across the South West in the run up to Mother’s Day.

‘Shwopping’ involves customers donating any item of clothing, of any brand, to be re-used, resold or recycled by charity partner Oxfam. Launched by Plan A ambassador Joanna Lumley, M&S believes Shwopping can revolutionise clothes shopping by asking consumers to adopt a ‘buy one, give one’ mentality and encourage greater sustainability on the high street.

With three in five (56%) parents previously admitting to throwing baby clothes in the bin, there are millions of children’s clothing ending up in landfill that could be given a new life through Shwopping. 

All the money raised from items shwopped before 31 March 2014 will go to Oxfam’s Mother Appeal, helping mothers around the world lift themselves and their families out of poverty for good. Thanks to the UK government, every pound raised from the items will be doubled.

Joanna Lumley said of her support for the campaign: “It is a strange but true fact that the smaller the human being, the more clothes they inevitably need. Our children grow so quick that the clothing we bought a week ago, are often too small to be worn again. Yet, we are often guilty of throwing these away or holding onto them as they hold emotional memories for us as new mums.”

“Through Shwopping we can now help mums that we may never meet, but through that old babygrow that will never be worn again, we can be connected through our memories and our goodwill. No clothing, no matter how small, should end up in landfill and harm the environment. Dig deep into the back of the wardrobe, get that box from the cellar and shwop them… your small donation will have a huge impact on someone’s life.”

28-year-old model and mum to two-year-old Sophia, Abbey Clancy said: "It's great that Oxfam is celebrating mothers around the world as mum's really are amazing. Supporting Oxfam's Mother Appeal is easy, you can donate unwanted goods to Oxfam shops, Shwop clothes in M&S, hold a fundraising event with friends, or simply donate money via Oxfam’s website and you'll be helping mothers worldwide change their future. What's more every donation to the appeal will be matched by the UK government, which is just brilliant!"

Mum of two, DJ and TV Presenter, Zoe Ball added: “Being a Mum is the best job in the world and a role I cherish with all my heart - but for many mums around the world it is also the toughest job, fighting everyday to find enough food to feed your little ones, trying to keep them healthy often without access to even basic healthcare and worrying about their future without a guarantee of education for them or facing challenging political situations."

“So, we're calling on all mums & grandmas out there to do a little bit to help other mums around the world less fortunate than ourselves simply by taking your bags of used or unwanted clothes to Marks & Spencer stores nationwide and Shwopping them to raise money for Oxfam’s Mother Appeal. What's more, thanks to the UK government, all the money (up to £5 million) raised from the items during the appeal will be doubled.”

Since its launch in April 2012, Oxfam has received 6.9 million items of clothing thanks to Shwopping, worth £4.5 million for the charity. All money raised by Shwopping is used to support Oxfam’s projects around the world working to alleviate poverty.

Marks & Spencer and Oxfam’s Love, Mum campaign is calling on the nation to shwop their unwanted kidswear items to raise money for mothers living in poverty around the world. For more information visit www.marksandspencer.com/shwopping

For more information on Oxfam’s Mother Appeal visit www.oxfam.org.uk/Mother-Appeal