A stuffed lion mascot from the 1966 World Cup final at Wembley has been restored in time to support England in the current tournament. The mascot, known as World Cup Willie, was originally purchased by Steph Taylor, who attended all the Wembley matches during the 1966 competition.

Taylor, now 79 and based in London, bought the lion at the first match she attended. She carried Willie in her pocket throughout the tournament, including the final, which England famously won. She attended the games with her then-fiancé Chris Neale, an accountant who lodged with her and her mother. The couple later married in October 1966, and their daughter Alison was born the following June.

Tragically, Neale passed away from an asthma attack when Alison was just nine months old in March 1967. Taylor described the loss as devastating, leaving her a young widow with a baby daughter. Alison Congalton, now 59 and working as an administrator in London, reflected on the mascot’s significance as a tangible link to her parents. “I love seeing footage of the 1966 final because I look at it and think, my dad’s in there somewhere,” she said.

For many years, Willie was kept on a windowsill in a damp flat, where exposure to moisture caused considerable damage to his fabric and stuffing. This led Taylor to seek professional restoration, and she and her daughter brought the mascot to the BBC’s program The Repair Shop. In the workshop, specialists Julie Tatchell and Amanda Middleditch carefully dismantled the toy, removing all the old stuffing to clean and rebuild it.

The restoration process was completed just before the current World Cup matches, allowing Willie to be present again as a symbol of hope and good fortune. Taylor described seeing the restored lion as an emotional moment, saying, “Oh wow. I don’t know if he’s ever looked that good… he will sit on my lap and watch the next matches. Maybe he will be a good luck charm.”

The segment highlighting the restoration will be broadcast on BBC One, scheduled for Wednesday at 8 p.m.