Flagship London 2012 Shop opens at Heathrow's Terminal 5 with special screening of new mascots film

With just over 500 days to go until the London 2012 Games, Wenlock (the London 2012 Olympic mascot) and Mandeville (the London 2012 Paralympic mascot) today opened the largest dedicated London 2012 merchandise outlet yet.

The new London 2012 Shop, which stocks exciting new product ranges including special Beefeater and Queen's Guard mascot toys, is situated in Terminal 5 and is the first to open at an airport. The flagship store is set to give all international and domestic travellers the opportunity to stock up on a piece of sporting history as they pass through the terminal.

The shop opening was celebrated with a special in-store screening of the latest instalment of the London 2012 mascot film – ‘Adventures on a Rainbow’ – to pupils at London 2012 Get Set Network school Cranford Primary School in Hounslow. Like the first episode, the story is written by children’s author Michael Morpurgo and follows the mascots as they continue on their sporting adventure across the UK, inspiring young people to take up sport.

During the film Wenlock and Mandeville meet GB athletes Tom Daley, Shanaze Reid, Mandip Sehmi, Phillips Idowu and Ellie Simmonds, and discover British icons including a Queen’s Guard and a Beefeater.

The soundtrack to the film is composed by British composer Thomas Hewitt Jones and has been recorded by talented teenagers from across the UK in the National Youth Orchestra.

The full four-minute film can be seen on the London 2012 website, www.london2012.com/mascots, and is being screened on the London 2012 Live Sites – a network of big screens across the UK.

Fans of Wenlock and Mandeville will also be able to engage with digital versions of the mascots with two new innovative additions to www.london2012.com/mascots: 'Swim Wenlock Swim', a webcam-based swimming game; and 'Make your mascot', a customiser that allows you to create your own versions of Wenlock and Mandeville, with different clothes and sports equipment.

LOCOG Chair, Sebastian Coe, said: ‘Not only have we opened the third London 2012 Shop in Terminal 5 today, but we’ve also screened for the first time the new mascot film ‘Adventures on a Rainbow’. It follows Wenlock and Mandeville, who have been travelling around the UK meeting sports stars, children at schools in the London 2012 ‘Get Set’ education programme and community groups and inspiring young people to choose sport as we head towards the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

‘The film and new website games will continue to engage young people digitally, whilst the mascots continue to visit schools and communities across the UK in the run up to the Games.’

Paul Deighton, LOCOG CEO, said: 'Our new flagship shop offers a unique opportunity for London 2012 to connect to UK travellers and international visitors, offering them a great chance to take home a piece of the Games. The range of products on offer is huge and the diversity really means there is something for everyone – from pocket-money toys to collectables.'

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For more information on the London 2012 shop at Terminal 5 or the new Mascot film, please contact:

Ashley_Gerrie@JCPR.com 0203 0474 044

Joon_Haque@JCPR.com 0203 047 2015

For more information regarding Terminal 5 please contact the BAA Commercial press office at

Mischief on 020 7100 9999 / baa@mischiefpr.com

For further information please contact the London 2012 Press Office on +44 (0)203 2012 100 or visit the website at www.london2012.com. Find out the latest from London 2012 HQ on our blog http://blog.london2012.com or follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/london2012

Notes to editors:

About the London 2012 mascots - Wenlock and Mandeville

The London 2012 mascots were created from the last drops of steel left over from the construction of the final support girder for the Olympic Stadium.

Their names reflect the UK’s rich Olympic and Paralympic histories. Wenlock’s name is inspired by the Shropshire village of Much Wenlock where the ‘Wenlock Games’ was one of the inspirations that led the founder of the modern Olympic movement Baron Pierre de Coubertin to create the Olympic Games. Mandeville’s name is inspired by Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire. In the 1940s, Dr.Ludwig Guttmann came to Stoke Mandeville Hospital to set up a new spinal unit to help former soldiers suffering from spinal cord injuries. Looking for ways to inspire those in his care, he encouraged them to take up sport, leading to the formation of the Stoke Mandeville Games, widely recognised as a forerunner of the modern Paralympic movement.

Wenlock has its own Facebook page and Twitter page

Mandeville also has its own Facebook page and Twitter page

The London 2012 Shop

Merchandise for the 2012 London Games is expected to raise £80 million towards the cost of funding the games.

The Terminal 5 shop boasts a footprint of 2300m2 and will offer the biggest and best range of collectable souvenirs available. From mascot bedding, children’s annuals - including ‘100 greatest Olympians and Paralympians’ books, jewellery, exclusive coins such as £5 from the Royal Mint and even collectables from childhood favourites ‘Hornby’ such as London taxis and buses adorned with patriotic London 2012 artwork, there is truly something for everyone.

Mascots Wenlock and Mandeville will also feature prominently in the London 2012 merchandise including soft toys, key rings and posters. The shop will also have an area specifically for Team GB merchandise designed by Stella McCartney for Adidas, the official makers for Team GB’s kit since 1984.

With direct links to over 180 destinations worldwide, Heathrow will be one of the major gateways to the Games in 2012. In addition to the several hundred thousand spectators, Heathrow is preparing to welcome over 125,000 members of the Olympic and Paralympic family, which includes athletes, officials and the IOC, as well as over 30,000 international journalists.

‘Adventures on a Rainbow’ – the new mascots film

The second London 2012 Mascots film ‘Adventures on a Rainbow’ follows Wenlock and Mandeville as they travel around the UK on their journey to the London 2012 Games, meeting new people and trying new sports.

The story is written by children’s author Michael Morpurgo and the film is produced by Crystal CG, the Official Digital Imaging Services Provider for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The new film ‘Adventures on a Rainbow’, and the first film ‘Out of a Rainbow’, are both available to view on mascots website – www.london2012.com/mascots.

London 2012 mascot games

The webcam-based game 'Swim Wenlock Swim' (also playable on a computer keyboard) will be the first in a series of five exciting games released on www.london2012.com/mascots between now and Games time – each encouraging children to play and learn with the mascots in a different sporting activity.

Similarly, the mascot customisation drives deeper understanding of the Olympic and Paralympic sports by educating children in a visually exciting way – with a variety of different sporting ‘costumes’ on offer.

The mascot games have been developed by iris, an independent, global creative agency.

The National Youth Orchestra

Every year, 170 talented teenagers from all corners of the country join forces to achieve something extraordinary. They reawaken classical music, reinvigorating great repertoire with fresh energy and resonance.

They generate tremendous team spirit and remind us all of the exhilarating rewards that come from hard work, dedication and following their dreams. Everyone who sees them in action agrees the NYO presents a luminous portrait of the youth of today.

The orchestra meets for residential courses each year. Every day of each course is another extraordinary occasion, fusing intensive instrumental rehearsals with workshops addressing all aspects of musicality including voice, movement, composing and improvisation. It’s an opportunity to learn from inspiring professionals and make sensational music with wonderful international artists who works with the orchestra every year. A range of distinctive projects also enables our young musicians to be the drivers of the creative process, exploring new approaches, relationship and settings.

LOCOG

As it heads towards its £2bn budget for staging the Olympic and Paralympic Games, LOCOG has seven domestic Tier One Partners - adidas, BMW, BP, British Airways, BT, EDF and Lloyds TSB. There are seven domestic Tier Two Supporters – Adecco, ArcelorMittal, Cadbury, Cisco, Deloitte, Thomas Cook and UPS. There are now twenty one domestic Tier Three Suppliers and Providers – Aggreko, Airwave, Atkins, Boston Consulting Group, CBS Outdoor, Crystal CG, Eurostar, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, GSK, Gymnova, Heineken UK, Holiday Inn, John Lewis, McCann Worldgroup, Mondo, Next, The Nielsen Company, Populous, Technogym, Ticketmaster and Trident.

There is one domestic Tier One Paralympic Games Partner, Sainsbury’s and one domestic Tier Three Supplier, Otto Bock.

The Worldwide Olympic Partners signed up for London 2012 are Coca-Cola, Acer, Atos Origin, Dow Chemical, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Procter & Gamble, Samsung and Visa.

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