WOMEN raced to get their hands on each other’s clothes during a charity fundraiser in Oxford.

The ‘swishing’ event, at Baby Simple bar in Cowley Road on Saturday, was held in aid of pioneering East Oxford children’s hospice Helen & Douglas House.

Dozens of women of all ages brought in clothes they no longer wanted and exchanged them for new items.

They each paid a £5 fee to take part in the event, with all proceeds going to the Magdalen Road hospice.

Helen Cordiner, a fundraising assistant at the hospice, said: “People were really generous and the feedback was that they all spotted something they liked.”

Doors opened an hour before the ‘swish’ began, giving participants a chance to hand over clothes, bags, shoes, accessories and jewellery, and check out what other people had to offer.

There was no fighting in the aisles but high-fives were exchanged as the fashionistas managed to get their hands on coveted items of clothing.

Maria McLean, 20, brought in a skirt to exchange.

She said: “I think it’s a brilliant idea — I had never heard of swishing before this.”

Anna Winstanley, 25, from Marston, brought several coats that didn’t fit or that she had bought on a whim.

She successfully swished them for a dress and skirt she spotted early on.

Ms Winstanley said: “I came with a few friends and we had spies around the room who knew what we wanted.

“I think it’s a brilliant idea, especially in the current economic climate, and Helen & Douglas House is a brilliant cause.”

Fiona Evans, 27, who works at the hospice organising activity events, said: “I brought a bag with about 20 things in it and me and my friend actually swished before we got here between the two of us.

Miss Cordiner said she hoped Saturday’s fundraiser, which attracted about 30 people, would be the first of many similar events.

She also called on people to organise their own swishing sessions among friends, where they could charge a small fee to go towards the hospice.

WHAT IS SWISHING?

CLOTHES swapping parties first started in America several years ago but have started coming into their own in the UK in the last two years. Swishes are often arranged by ethical charities, with the idea being that clothes swapping stops good quality clothes being thrown away, and means people can update their wardrobes for free. Celebrities such as Kylie, Naomi Campbell and Kelly Osbourne have handed over their own clothes for swishing parties, and Gwyneth Paltrow and Lindsay Lohan are said to be confirmed fans. Twiggy is credited with popularising the fad on her Frock Exchange TV show.