London 2012 Olympics: Thomas Cook ticket packages still available. And other things you might have missed

When we all look back on the pre-amble of the London 2012 Olympics, it is safe to say that the week commencing May 30, 2011 will be filed under the header ‘Ticketgate’. Chris Townsend, the director responsible for ticketing at London 2012, came online for an exclusive webchat with The Telegraph. Not all readers were happy with the result but there were some unique bits of detail among the carefully measured responses.

The Telegraph has been overwhelmed by the passionate emails sent to olympics@telegraph.co.uk about the ticketing process. There was a fascinating range of responses that allowed us to fully understand what applicants were going through, while our online poll clearly showed that half of a 5,000-person sample were ‘furious’ with their allocation (or lack of) . For this we are thankful.

So with 420 days to go here’s some stories you might have missed:

1. The PR team at Thomas Cook emailed The Telegraph to tell us that even though your Olympic ticket dreams were in tatters they had plenty of premium packages and guaranteed seats left.

A spokesperson for Thomas Cook UK & Ireland said, “Wednesday has been our busiest day so far - since the early hours of the morning we saw more people visiting our website, calling our hotline and visiting our stores to secure themselves a seat at the Games.

“We still have limited availability in some of the most popular sports that have been oversubscribed in the ballot, as we continue to guarantee the public tickets and hotel rooms to this once in a lifetime event that simply aren’t available to purchase separately.”

From the sample of available packages they sent us the below look the best [NB - you must either like rhythmic gymnastics or be fabulously wealthy]:

Gymnastics Final – £129pp
10th August 2012
1 night at the 2* Ibis London Heathrow
Rhythmic Gymnastics Individual All Round Final – Cat D Tickets

100m Men’s Athletics Finals & Basketball – £3299pp
Games Break Plus – 4th August 2012
2 events, 2 nights staying at the 5* Sheraton Park Tower
Women’s Basketball Prelims – Cat A Tickets
Athletics Finals including Men’s 100m finals – Cat A Tickets

2. The people at Hornby are no mugs. They have sponsored a range of London cabs and branded them with 40 of the Olympic sports. What’s more, inside each cab is an advert to buy the replica toy of the cab you’re riding in. The manufacturers of the toys? Hornby of course. See the pic below:

3. We know it may seem for many of you that your ticket allocation didn’t amount to much. But when it’s all added up, the ticket money will give the UK economy a one-off £400 million ‘Olympic bounce’ in the second quarter of the year, an ING expert predicted in the Evening Standard. However he also warned: “We may see a softer third quarter number as people pay their credit card bills, which will leave less money to spend on other goods and services.”

4. Were you worried this Games might not green and/or sustainable. You were, weren’t you? Well, adidas has revealed that the buttons, polyester and cotton for its official Olympic clothing will be from recycled materials. It also has plans for the first 100 per cent recycled water bottle in the world, according to the Metro. Chief executive Herbert Hainer said: “Every product within the volunteer staff and the torch relay and within the village will have recycled material.” We can all rest easy now.

5. After the successful resurgence of bunting during the Royal Wedding celebrations, London boroughs will be given £50,000 each to decorate their streets for the Games, the BBC reported.

The funds will be provided by the Mayor of London’s office to try and brighten things up a bit. “We all have a duty to make the most of this opportunity and I’m determined to ensure every part of the capital gets to benefit and enjoy the Games,” said Boris.

6. And finally…. Alton Towers has has “come to the rescue” of disappointed Olympic ticket applicants. The Midlands theme park said the first 500 visitors who missed out on Olympics tickets will gain a free day pass. But how do you prove that? The debiting hasn’t even officially ended yet. Still, it’s a great day out. [Confusing] Ts&Cs below:

Terms and conditions
Offer open to the first 500 visitors who can show proof that they applied for Olympic tickets but missed out. The offer allows a day pass into the Theme Park at the Alton Towers Resort only. There is no cash alternative and is subject to availability. The offer is non-transferable and subject to availability.  Offer is available Friday 3rd June- Sunday 5^th June only.