Joanna Lumley, Abbey Clancy and Zoe Ball launch a new initiative from Marks & Spencer and Oxfam to raise money for mothers living in poverty around the world.
London, UK, 2014-2-4 — /EPR Retail News/ — CELEBRITY MUMS Joanna Lumley, Abbey Clancy and Zoe Ball today 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.
‘Love, Mum’, part of the retailer’s ongoing Shwopping campaign, is calling on the nation to shwop – not bin – unwanted childrenswear items, of any brand, to M&S stores nationwide in the run up to Mother’s Day.
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 visitwww.marksandspencer.com/shwopping.
For more information on Oxfam’s Mother Appeal visit www.oxfam.org.uk/Mother-Appeal.
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Contact:
For further information / interviews / images
Andrew Soar andrew.soar@hellounity.com 020 7440 9826
Jessica Becker Jessica@hellounity.com 020 7440 9834
Rachael Martin rachael@hellounity.com 020 7440 9820
For further information on Marks & Spencer:
Daniel Himsworth daniel.himsworth@marks-and-spencer.com 020 8718 1618
Liz Williams liz.williams@marks-and-spencer.com 020 8718 6369
NOTES TO EDITORS
- Shwopping is Marks & Spencer’s revolutionary clothes recycling initiative where customers can donate 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.
- The campaign aims to put an end to the one billion items currently ending up in landfill every year. All M&S clothing stores now accept used and unwanted items of clothing from any brand, all year round. The ultimate aim for M&S is to collect 350 million items a year – recycling as many clothes as it sells.
- Plan A is Marks & Spencer’s eco and ethical programme that aims to make M&S the world’s most sustainable major retailer by 2015. Launched in 2007 and extended in March 2010, it takes an holistic approach to sustainability focusing on involving customers, engaging all areas of the business and tackling issues such as climate change, waste, raw materials, health and being a fair partner.
- Oxfam is a global humanitarian, development and campaigning organisation working with others to overcome poverty. Oxfam is working in nearly 60 countries on a diverse range of projects, from providing emergency water sources to supporting community health projects. Oxfam has just under 700 high street shops across the UK and Ireland and is one of the only major charity retailer to operate a textile sorting facility, Wastesaver.
- Oxfam’s Mother Appeal celebrates mums around the world and aims to help mothers worldwide lift themselves and their families out of poverty for good. The appeal, which runs until the end of March, hopes to raise over £10 million for Oxfam’s vital work and, thanks to the UK government, every pound raised will be doubled (up to a total value raised of £5 million).*
There are lots of ways to get involved and support the appeal, whether it’s donating unwanted goods to Oxfam shops; Shwopping used or unwanted clothes in Marks & Spencer stores; holding a fundraising get together with friends and colleagues; or simply donating money via Oxfam’s website. www.oxfam.org.uk/Mother-Appeal
* Commissioned by Marks & Spencer, the survey was conducted online by OnePoll from the 25th to 27th September 2012, where a total of 1,000 UK mothers (with children between the age of one and five) were polled.
** The UK government will match the value of everything you donate to the Mother Appeal, doubling the difference you’re making. Matched funding is up to a maximum total value raised of £5 million. It covers:
- Fundraising events taking place between 31 December and 31 March 2014 and money paid in by 31 May 2014
- The value of items shwopped or donated to the appeal between 31 December 2013 and 31 March 2014 and sold before 30 April 2014 in participating Oxfam and M&S stores in England, Scotland and Wales
- Cash donations between 31 December 2013 to 31 March 2014