Wallace and Gromit fan has 1,000 memorabilia items in Norfolk

A Wallace and Gromit superfan who owns more than 1,000 items of memorabilia said her sprawling collection started with a pen.

Mel Harrison, 43, said she had been “absolutely blown away” by all things Aardman since her childhood.

She admitted losing count of how much money she had spent on her trove, which was first funded by working a paper round as a teenager.

“I have lots of ornaments, I’ve probably got about 50 different mugs, there’s kids’ playsets, bubble baths…” said Ms Harrison, who lives in Wormegay, Norfolk.

“I’ve collected a few of the Gromit Unleashed figures, I have car mats, I found a Wallace and Gromit frisbee the other day.

“There’s so much stuff, they seem to be able to put Wallace and Gromit on anything.”

Ms Harrison, who stores the items in both the loft and a room in her home, said her love affair with the series began when she was a child, with her first memory being the short film A Grand Day Out.

Her most prized possession was a signed poster from the franchise’s creator Nick Park, which she received as a 16th birthday present.

Ms Harrison said the character she loved most was Gromit, even naming her pet spaniel, who died in November 2023, after Wallace’s trusted best friend.

“I always wanted a dog called Gromit and I finally got my spaniel, who I lost a year ago, and the expressions on him and Gromit matched,” she added.

“It wasn’t surprising at all, I’m just really pleased that they got the credit they deserved,” she said.

“With the animation, it just blows me away how they do it all; it’s just amazing and it’s the humour – the humour is a big thing for me.

“You can watch the film 10 times or even 100 times and see something different every single time.”

She added she would “absolutely love to meet Nick Park for cheese and crackers some day”.