Who are we? | The Wombles Community Charity

The Wombles first appeared in a series of books written by Elizabeth Beresford starting in 1968.

The name ‘Womble’ was inspired by a walk on Wimbledon Common one Boxing Day when Elizabeth’s daughter Kate mispronounced it as ‘Wombledon Common’. Elizabeth, who was a high-profile children’s writer and broadcaster, used this as the inspiration to create a cast of lovable characters who tidied-up and reused the discarded things they found on the Common.

Her stories were first televised on the BBC in February 1973. Animated by Ivor Wood and Barry Leith, narrated by Bernard Cribbins and with the theme tune composed by Mike Batt. The show was voted by the British public as one of the top 10 most popular BBC TV children’s programmes of all time.

Coming out of hibernation.

The Wombles were brought out of hibernation in 2020 to spread their positive message of local environmentalism. Since then, our furry friends have featured in a wide range of environmental campaigns, including the annual Great British Spring Clean, #EcoSchoolsAtHome, WRAP’s recycling initiatives, Meat Free Mondays, tree planting, beach cleaning and upcycling and were the UK government’s mascots at COP26.

For further information on The Wombles, follow this link.

Our Mission

To inspire, empower, and instil passion in local communities and future generations for a greener future through continued engagement with environmental initiatives.

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