A Womble with a head for heights has put himself on a pedestal to spread the word about AFC Wimbledon.
Haydon, the club’s mascot, spent an hour on top of the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square last week as part of a new project by artist Anthony Gormley, giving thousands of people the chance to occupy the famous spot.
The man inside the costume, Morden resident Dean Parsons, joined the One and Other project to boost the club’s profile.
Mr Parsons, who has been a fan of Gormley’s work for years, applied to take part in the project last Monday - and two days later was chosen at random to appear on the plinth on Friday evening.
He said the move had brought AFC Wimbledon to a wider audience. He said: “There were so many tourists asking people what a Womble was.”
He has since received emails from as far away as Mexico asking about the club.
The 35-year-old brought a stereo and pile of placards to the top of the plinth in order to play a game of musical statues with passersby.
He was cheered on by family, friends and about 40 AFC Wimbledon fans during his appearance from 6pm to 7pm.
Mr Parsons has been bringing Haydon to life for more than three years, and the Green Lane resident is also warehouse manager for a hair product company.
One and Other is set to run until October 14 and will feature 2,400 different people. Before the launch of the project Gormley said: “It could be tragic but it could also be funny.”
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