SHOPPERS at Marks and Spencers at Castlepoint had a shock when they realised Joanna Lumley was checking out the lingerie department.

The actress paid a whistle-stop visit to the Bournemouth store to thank staff for their efforts in the nationwide “shwopping” campaign, whereby customers are asked to hand in their unwanted clothes, which are then donated to Oxfam.

Employees at the Castlepoint branch managed to collect the most items from their customers during a one-day wardrobe clear-out event earlier this year, to win the visit from Joanna, who is an ambassador of the scheme.

After meeting and greeting the staff, the star was given a guided tour of the store.

She said: “This is one of the high spots of my later summer, coming down to congratulate Marks and Spencer for their quite extraordinary achievement on being the best of all the Marks and Spencer stores in the one-day wardrobe clear out.

“They had 3,500 to 4,000 garments shwopped in 12 hours, which means staff really motivated their customers.”

Joanna, who admitted she was clad entirely in Marks and Spencer clobber for her visit, is passionate about the project – she recently even persuaded her husband to donate – and earlier this year paid a visit to Senegal to see first hand how Oxfam was changing people’s lives through the scheme.

She added: “Sometimes you have loved a garment and you feel bad about giving it away.

“I’m saying, pass it on – it’s got another life and maybe another two lives.”

  • Marks and Spencer will be holding another one-day wardrobe clear-out in the coming weeks – keep an eye on signage in your local store for details on how to take part.