Campaign To Return The Wombles To Wimbledon Common
Fundraising drive to install a bronze statue of Orinoco sitting on a Commons bench
The Womble characters have helped put Wimbledon on the map around the globe, but until now there has been nothing in Wimbledon to celebrate their legacy.
But a crowdfunding campaign has today (February 27) been launched, aiming to help put The Wombles back in their rightful place on Wimbledon Common, celebrating the impact that these famous litter conscious characters had on the childhoods around the world.
The project hopes to raise the funds to install a life-size bronze statue of Orinoco the Womble sat on a bench on Wimbledon Common. The bench will then become a designated reading bench for locals to enjoy.
The campaign has received the backing of the family of Womble creator, Elizabeth Beresford; Mike Batt, who wrote and produced the famous Wombles theme song and the hit ‘Remember You’re a Womble’; as well as TV legend Bernard Cribbins who narrated the TV Show.
Kate Robertson, Daughter of Womble creator Elizabeth Beresford, said: “Over the last 50 years, The Wombles have captured the hearts of many generations and, with a new TV show being launched this year, it looks like the legacy of the Wombles will continue to inspire another generation. It would be lovely to have both the memory of my mother and The Wombles recognised through a permanent statue in the heart of Wimbledon.”
Campaign organiser Simon Hood commented: “The Wombles have featured in books, in their own TV show, have had huge music hits and even starred in their own movie. Everyone who knows The Wombles knows that they live on Wimbledon Common - Apple have even programmed their autocorrect function to replace the word ‘Wimbledon’ with the word ‘Womble’ - yet within Wimbledon itself there is nothing there to mark their existence.
He continued: “We are hoping that Womble fans can join together and change that to create a permanent legacy, recognising the work of Elizabeth Beresford MBE and The Wombles. Paddington Station has a Paddington statue so I think this would be a great thing to happen for Wimbledon”.
Those looking to back the crowdfunding can participate via the Kickstarter campaign, which is set to launch soon.
In January, Prime Minister Boris Johnson officially welcomed the Wombles out of hibernation to launch Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean, the country’s largest mass-action environmental campaign.
February 27, 2020