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.
A man who conned tax officials out of £34 million and funded a lavish lifestyle of luxury hotels and restaurants has been jailed for one of the longest sentences in British criminal fraud history .
SPLASHING around in a paddling pool, this little elephant soaks up the sunshine .
This longhorn beetle demon-strates a dark side as it looks just like the devil .
WITHOUT A care in the world, this little snow monkey puts his feet up and settles in for a snooze .
A hungry hippo is seconds away from catching a bird in its gigantic jaws .
If you had to scrape the snow off your car this morning or slip-slide your way into work over icy pavements spare a thought for these little critters .
PERCHED on a branch, this Little Owl plays third wheel to two love birds .
SNEAKING slowly into the water, this Bengal tiger plans a vicious attack on three unsuspecting deer .
A BEAUTIFUL sight for the eyes and the imagination, these liquid sculptures take shape in many different colours and formations .
A diver attempts to control rising numbers of lionfish by feeding the venomous species to Caribbean reef sharks .
Balanced on one leg, a frog assumes the crane kick martial arts stance made famous in the movie The Karate Kid .