ON OCTOBER 5 1942, a group concerned about civilians caught up in the battles of World War Two called for blockades so food could reach people starving in Europe.

The Oxford Committee for Famine Relief, now known as Oxfam, continues its fight against injustice around the world as it celebrates its 75th anniversary today.

In this time, the charity has helped those affected by natural disasters, humanitarian crises and ran long-term projects to help poor communities improve their lives.

Roger Baker, 85, the charity's longest-serving volunteer, has been supporting the charity for 48 years.

His father Wilson Baker, a chemist, was part of the original committee who set up the first shop in Broad Street in 1945.

The Abingdon shop veteran, who will be putting up 75 different posters on the walls to celebrate, said: “When you join a family, you stay.”

The retired teacher said his involvement in Oxfam means 'helping the disadvantaged people of the world, allowing them to help themselves', adding that Oxfam's work is not about handouts.

Around 500 Oxfam staff, friends and supporters will meet at Oxford Town Hall on Friday evening to celebrate the charity’s achievements and reflect on how it can continue the campaign against poverty.

On Sunday, 75 Oxfam campaigners will be taking part in the Royal Parks Half marathon.

But the charity said the celebrations will not be too excessive, as Oxfam is not too 'self-congratulatory'. Instead, it says staff and volunteers are 'looking at future challenges'.

Over the years, the campaigns and fundraising events have ranged from the weird to the wonderful.

In 2012, an Oxfordshire man donated more than £100,000 of bet winnings to Oxfam, from beyond the grave.

Nine years earlier, Nick Newlife, from Tackley, bet £1,520 that Federer would win seven Wimbledon titles by 2019 at odds of 66/1.

Mr Newlife, a bachelor with no children, died in 2009 and left the betting slip to Oxfam in his will.

When Federer beat Andy Murray in the final, William Hill paid £101,840 to Oxfam.

In the 90s, Oxfam sent 'the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse' - on real horses - over Westminster Bridge to protest the consequences of cutting aid to developing countries.

In 2010, a group of pregnant women recreated Charles Ebbet’s iconic New York construction workers image ‘Lunch atop a skyscraper’ to highlight the dangers of childbirth in the developing world.

Last year, the charity turned Trafalgar Square into a ‘tropical tax haven’ with palm trees, a sandy beach and business men in a call to end to tax dodging that ‘robs poor countries'.

Mark Goldring, the charity's Chief Executive said: “Our work providing life-saving aid and standing up for the rights of the world’s poorest people would simply not be possible without the compassion and support of the British public.”