The Wimble's favourite stories of the year
We pick some of our favourite stories from the past year as we look ahead to 2026
Good morning, Wimblers — it’s New Year’s Eve! Whether you’re attending a mad party or having a quiet night in, I hope you enjoy your last evening of 2025.
We’re back next week with our usual newsletter full of recommendations, features, properties and news snippets. But for now, we’d like to take this moment to reflect on the past year and the great stories and people we’ve featured. It’s been such a wonderful year for us at The Wimble: we launched our first print edition in the summer (printing 20,000 copies), followed by our Christmas edition just last month (printing another 20,000 copies), and we’re nearly at the 10k subscriber mark! But none of this would have been possible without our loyal readers and the rest of the local community who offer suggestions, put themselves forward for features and support us week in, week out.
New Year’s Eve is as much about reflection as it is about anticipating the new year. And in honour of that, we’re highlighting some of our favourite moments from 2025 (in no particular order!). We hope you enjoyed them as much as we did.
Inside the new Wimbledon bakery where music and bread collide
Hello Wimblers — We’re back! I hope that everyone has had a lovely week thus far. I must admit that I’m missing the sunny and verdant Basque Country, but it’s good to be home.
In April, The Wimble had the chance to sit down with Sam McCauley, the mastermind behind Wimbledon’s Thrift Bakery. One-quarter of UK alternative band Oversize, Sam’s main gig is music. But earlier this year, Sam decided to start a new venture: Thrift Bakery. What was lovely about this piece was the feedback that I got from readers. Many Wimblers hadn’t heard of Thrift until they read this piece — now it’s all they can talk about!
Meet the man who saved Wimbledon
Good morning Wimblers — I hope that everyone has cooled down after Monday and Tuesday’s scorching temperatures.
Tennis legend Roger Taylor has a long list of achievements. He was the working-class Sheffield lad who made good by becoming Britain’s No. 1 ranked tennis player in 1973 and 1974. He reached Wimbledon’s semi-finals three times. He defeated reigning champion and world number one Rod “Rocket” Laver in 1970. He beat a young Björn Borg in 1973. He was nearly cast as Sean Connery’s replacement in James Bond. He had back-to-back wins at the US Open’s men’s doubles in 1971 and 1972. And, unlike many of his peers, he refused to boycott the 1973 Wimbledon Championships. This is the story of the man who saved Wimbledon.
Wimbledon's top chef says: Come dine with me
Good morning Wimblers — welcome to this week’s edition.
This year, the Fox & Grapes launched their “Sourced & Found” supper club: an evening championing local produce and sustainable dining. I was lucky enough to be there on their opening night, and let me tell you this: it was nothing short of spectacular. The Fox & Grapes is one of Wimbledon’s shiniest gems, and this new supper club is worth keeping your eyes peeled for.
Inside the intense training to be Wimbledon's ball girls and boys
Good morning Wimblers — how is everyone doing? I hope that we’re all enjoying our week.
Do you think you have what it takes to become one of Wimbledon’s ball boys or girls (also known as BBGs for those in the know)? The Wimble sat down with Sarah Goldson, BBG manager since 2012, to talk about the rigorous training that BBGs go through to make the cut.
Fireman Bob — a hero of Wimbledon — returns to his old station
Good morning Wimblers — welcome to this week’s edition.
Robert (Bob) Stone was born in Wimbledon in 1947. After leaving school at 14, he took on various jobs before joining the London Fire Brigade in 1974. He worked in fire stations all over London — from New Malden to Fulham — but was instrumental in his service at Wimbledon’s fire station in the 70s. Earlier this year, The Wimble sat down with Bob in The Fire Station Café, the former site of Wimbledon Fire Station, to talk about Bob’s life as a Wimbledon fireman, the changing landscape of SW19 and to ask him why this area means so much to him.
Meet the man who loves Wimbledon so much he commutes here from ... the Midlands
Good morning, Wimblers — I hope that everyone is enjoying their week thus far! Thank you for your continued support. Our numbers keep growing every day, and that’s all thanks to you.
AFC Wimbledon is nothing short of a miracle team. Its story is one of the best to ever grace English football history. But what makes a team like The Dons tick? Meet AFC Wimbledon’s Craig Cope, the youngest Director of Football in the Football League; in fact, he may be the youngest Director of Football in Britain. Earlier this year — before Wimbledon’s promotion — The Wimble met with Craig to talk about everything from embracing the club’s unique history to what it’s like to commute from the Midlands to Wimbledon Village once a week (and sometimes more).
Have a wonderful New Year from us at The Wimble 🎆
We’d have included more of our wonderful stories from 2026, but unfortunately Substack has a limit on how many posts you can embed in one email. But fret not! We’re back with our weekly newsletter as of next Thursday. Until then, have a wonderful rest of your holidays and enjoy the celebrations tonight. We’ll see you next year.