FAQ
Ask away!
We may have the question already answered below,
but if we don’t, please ask away! We are happy to help.
The wombles are furry creatures who can be found globally, but perhaps most famously documented by Elizabeth Beresford who helped capture their antics on Wimbledon Common. Wombles are well known as making good use of the things that they find – things that everyday folk leave behind.
We have slightly outgrown our name which was a portmanteau of WApping and SHadwell. Like many groups we have taken inspiration from the Wombles and created a puntastic name, which we use under licence.
We meet in four locations – Stepney, Wapping, Mile End and Shadwell in rotation over the course of a month. See our events page for more information.
We have been almost entirely self-funded by the co-ordinators. As we have grown we have entered into partnership with Clean-Up UK who have provided us with a substantial proportion of our equipment and LBTH now provide us with most of our bin bags.
We are very grateful for the generosity of Huw at Urban Baristas who gives every person who comes out a free coffee. Our local Sainsburys on Wapping Lane now provide some of our biscuits. Cluttons Estate Agents have kindly donated some children’s hi-vis.
As we have grown, we have incorporated a special type of company for not-for-profit organisations – a Community Interest Company. This gives us a legal identity to allow us to enter into agreements with partners. Andrea, Danny and Paul are directors of the company.
As a relatively small organisation incorporating as a CIC rather than a charity means that we can spend more time on litter and less on jumping through reporting hoops. While we’re not a charity we are subject to oversight by the Regulator of Community Interest Companies and you can be assured that all donations are used directly on our litter picking activities.
Quite simply come to one of our weekly events and say hello! No need to book, just drop by.
Yes please! Our equipment wears out, our volunteers eat our biscuits and we incur costs for stationery, insurance and this website!
We accept donations on Ko-Fi and paypal
https://ko-fi.com/washwombles
https://paypal.me/washwombles
We encourage children to get involved but require a responsible adult to be present at all times. We think children from the age of 3 and up can get involved with some adult assistance, though you may want to incorporate a trip to the park as part of your litter pick!