Housands of cushions handmade as gifts for Olympics athletes may go to waste after London 2012 KNITWITS stitched up volunteers by refusing to allow them to hand them out.The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) initially told volunteers from the Woolsack project that they could hand out the 5,000 cushions they had created as souvenirs for the elite stars. But now, in fear of angering commercial sponsors, they have reneged on the deal. Dedicated families and elderly and disabled members of the scheme, which was designed to give athletes a British wool based welcome gift to the games, have grafted since early last year to create the individually crafted presents. A third of the games' athletes, including members of Team GB, confirmed their interest in receiving the decorative welcome gifts with athletics stars Jessica Ennis and Marilyn Okoro posing with samples at events last year.
POWERFUL bolts of lightning illuminate the night sky in an incredible autumn storm over the Sardinian coastline .
MEET the little lion of suburbia with a mane that makes him look like a mini-king of the jungle .
FLOATING effortlessly on his back, this little otter laps up a rare glimmer of English spring sunshine .
SAT with his arms folded and a cross look on his face, this Gorilla looks like he's had enough of the Christmas holidays already .
SOARING through the air, a hungry white-tailed kite prepares to snatch a vole from his mother’s claws .
DINING under the stars, this restaurant takes you back in time - inside an ancient cave .
A photographer from the United Arab Emirates travelled to Pakistan where he captured the lives of local people in a series of expressive portraits .
FLAUNTING its new accessory, a fashionable green dumpy tree frog poses for the camera while wearing a SNAIL as a hat .
STARING intently into the camera, a polar bear appears to be lost in thought while relaxing in the snow .
STOLEN £2K BULLDOG REUNITED WITH FAMILY VIA TWITTER - A £2,000 bulldog puppy snatched from her home by burglars has been reunited with her family thanks to Twitter .
THIS is the EXPLOSIVE moment when a 50 metre high pylon came crashing down to earth in a rural field .
