‘The Wombles’ creator Elisabeth Beresford dies aged 84

Elisabeth Beresford, who created the popular children’s characters, ‘The Wombles’, has died. She was 84.

Her family said on Saturday that she died at a hospital in Alderney in the Channel Islands, reports the Daily Express.

Beresford had revealed last month that she was inspired to create the children’s characters following a comment made by her daughter during a Boxing Day walk on Wimbledon Common.

“She said to me, ‘Isn’t it great on Wimbledon Common?’ and I said, ‘That’s where the Wombles live’,” she told Woman’s Hour.

Beresford, who also worked as a radio reporter, had said that many of the characters in the stories stemmed from her family.

“Great Uncle Bulgaria was my father-in-law, Madame Cholet was from my daughter Kate and Orinoco I just picked off a map,” she had said.

“The Queen’s a mad Womble fan,” said Beresford, whose 20 Womble books earned her an MBE in 1998.