The queue was snaking out of the gate as I arrived at 6pm. An excited buzz about what awaited everyone inside the church meant this was the most patient queue I'd ever stood in. The deal was simple - £2 entry, bring a bag of jumble that they could sell and then peruse the celebrity stalls in search of a bargain and a bargain it certainly was. With jumble donated by the likes of Kate Nash, Jimmy Carr, Fearne Cotton and Sara Cox plus Caroline Flack popped in with her old X-Factor garments, it was an extremely surreal experience. My friend picked up one of Lauren Laverne's old topshop dresses at a bargain price. I was later informed on Twitter by Lauren that this particular dress is a "lucky frock". At one point Cherry Healey held aloft Gabby Logan's old trousers exclaiming "Gabby Logan's trousers, her bottom has been in these". Dawn Porter's fiancé and Bridesmaid's star Chris O'Dowd took to jumble selling like a pro, at one point clutching someone's tiny dog and offering it for a fiver...
The atmosphere in the sale was wonderful. Celebs and bargain hunters mingling and chatting excitedly, belongings flying off the tables and generosity emanating around the building. There was barely any bartering from what I observed, people were more than happy to part with their cash.
The whole event was coordinated on twitter, proving the power of social media. Dawn Porter and Gemma Cairney have spent the last couple of weeks tirelessly badgering people to donate and attend and it paid off. I hope they are both feeling pretty pleased with themselves right now. Rumours on twitter are that up to £7k was raised. A phenomenal amount for 3 hours selling. The main purpose of the event was to promote the Oxfam get together for International Woman's Day. The idea is that you get together with your friends, do something fun and raise vital funds for Oxfam. Just £46 enables Oxfam to train a midwife and save a mother and child. We can all easily raise £46!
I hope that those who attended will feel inspired to hold their own event and I hope those who didn't are experiencing a bit of FOMO (that's fear of missing out and a likely feeling right now if you weren't in St Pancras last night) and hold their own event too.
Dawn, Gemma and the long list of celebrities and Oxfam employees did a wonderful thing yesterday - they made jumble sales cool again and they raised a lot of money for charity.
The crowds at Rumble in the Jumble
Caroline Flack
Get involved: Oxfam Get Together
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