The Wombles of Wimbledon

Hundreds of tennis fans rose at dawn again today in SW19 to pack up their belongings and make the short walk to the All England Club.

Many had stayed one night in Wimbledon Park and Golf Club and will leave at the end of play this evening.

But a few put their camping gear into specially provided storage crates knowing they would be doing it repeatedly for the next fortnight and living the outdoor life just like their children's programme counterparts the Wombles of Wimbledon.

Philip Nelson, 42, is one of the diehards intending to spend the entire fortnight camping out.

The wood carver from Wrexham, who is single, said: "I just love tennis. I watch it on satellite television all year round and I buy the magazines.

"I'm here alone but I have made so many friends that it feels like I'm part of a big family. It's so much nicer than camping out on the road."

Sue Callaghan, 55, affectionately known to other fans as "Mad Sue", has vowed to camp for the fortnight.

The cleaner, of Walton-on-the-Hill, Surrey, said: "Everyone thinks I'm crazy because I come here every year but I can't help myself. I'm here for the duration because I love Wimbledon and everything about it." She added: "I have so many friends and this is the only way we can meet up every year. You get people coming from all over the world, it's wonderful. This is so much better than the old way of doing it, especially for the kids because there is all this lovely space for them to mess around in."

Pamela Goodwin, 58, said the new system that has replaced the double road-side queue had made it much more bearable to spend night after night camping.

The hospital cleaner from Portsmouth said: "I have been coming here for 30 years and I wouldn't change it. I meet up with the same people year after year. We love the park - it's almost like a holiday camp. There is a great atmosphere."

Ally Martin, 41, of Guildford, spent the first night in the park with her two children before sending them home with her husband yesterday.

She said: "We gave the kids a day off school as a treat to come here but my husband has got the rest of the week off and he can look after them now.

"I'll be here for the rest of the week. When we used to camp by the road you could hear the traffic all night and you never got much sleep. This is more like being on holiday."

Pensioner Heidi Sambrook, 68, of Bognor, was also intending to stay for the whole week. She said: "It's not the same watching it on TV. It's the atmosphere that makes it and to experience that you've got to be here."

An All England Club source said the queue would shrink significantly in the middle of next week once Centre Court tickets stopped being sold at the gates. But some fans would camp in the park for the full two weeks. "The idea has been a real success and has added a whole new dimension to the championships. "