Owner of world’s largest collection of Womble memorabilia is to sell it after 35 years of collecting
THE owner of the world’s largest collection of Womble memorabilia is selling it — to spread the joy to other fans.
Gill Seyfang, 50, fell in love with the eco-friendly, furry TV favourites when she was at school.
The university lecturer has amassed 1,703 Womble items including cuddly toys, magazines, puzzles, games and even themed chocolate bars.
Her collection was recognised as the largest in 2016, but she has now decided to sell up.
Gill, of Norwich, said: “It was hard to know what else to do with it. I had always hoped there might be a museum but that’s never materialised. It’s time for a new chapter.”
Elisabeth Beresford wrote the first Wombles book in 1968 and the stop-motion TV show ran in the early 1970s.
Most of Gill’s items will be sold at a toy auction in Runcorn, Cheshire, next month.
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Ms Seyfang added: "The philosophy of the Wombles is what resonated with me the most as a young girl, so I would say it has definitely inspired my life and what I teach now.
"On a simple level it is about pesky humans leaving their crisp packets on Wimbledon Common, but it also goes a little deeper about humans not looking after the planet.
"It was really ahead of its time.”
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