Families miss out on 2012 tickets (From The Advertiser Series)

Families miss out on 2012 tickets

12:40pm Thursday 25th February 2010

• Print
• Email
• Share

FAMILIES of children who were expecting to get free tickets to the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony have spoken of their disappointment at being unable to claim them.

Babies born on December 20, 2005, were told they could have free tickets to the London Olympics if the bid was successful.

The initiative, known as the Children’s Promise, was on December 20 because the date reads 20/12.

However, two County Durham families are angry that they have been unable to claim their tickets because they have missed the deadline. They say they were not made aware there was a closing date.

Maureen Ross, of Coundon, said nurses at Darlington Memorial Hospital told her that her granddaughter, Megan Jane Ross was eligible for a ticket to the London Olympic Games opening ceremony due to her birthday.

Ms Ross said: “We were thrilled, especially when we got the Olympics, we thought ‘this is the chance of a lifetime to go to the opening ceremony'.”

But after making arrangements with family in London, and looking further into how to claim their tickets, they were told the April deadline had passed.

The family received a letter via their MP for Bishop Auckland, Helen Goodman, which stated: “Unfortunately, registration closed in April, so that numbers could be finalised and passed to the ceremony’s team to facilitate planning.”

Ms Ross said she doubted that the deadline had been publicised at all. “I have asked everyone and no one has heard about it,”she added. “Say 500 babies were born on that day, we should have had some acknowledgement.”

Fellow Coundon resident Tony Brown has also demanded answers, after his grandson Leo missed out. He said: “We originally heard that everyone born on that date would be invited to participate at the Olympic opening. After, when we made enquiries, we were told that we should have been registered by a certain date. But we don’t know what that date was.

“This is wrong and we are hoping we can get this decision changed as it is a once in a lifetime chance for everyone going on that date to be involved.”

The London 2012 Press office were unavailable to comment.

• Print
• Email
• Share