Olympic 'Wenlocks' toy mascots snapped up in days

A limited first edition toy of the London 2012 Wenlock mascot from Shropshire has sold out within days.

Bosses at the online Olympic shop - selling 2,012 of the teddies in their own display boxes - saw the final few hundred Wenlocks snapped up in just 20 minutes after they were released to the public.

The toy was selling at an average rate of 200 per day but the mayor of Much Wenlock, Councillor Mike Grace, was one of the lucky few who received one.

Councillor Grace was presented with a Wenlock by Golden Bear Products for the people of Much Wenlock.

"It's really generous of Golden Bear to present one to the town and it will give us a lasting memory of the fact that we are at the heart of the London 2012 games," he said.

"The story of the mascot will be something that the community will treasure for the long term."

Councillor Grace added: "I want to make it visible to the rest of the community and we will be looking at the right opportunity to put it in the public view so we will be reviewing venues like the museum to put it on display."

Meanwhile, Telford MP David Wright has called for the Olympic Torch to be carried across the Iron Bridge and through The Gorge en route to London for the 2012 Games. Mr Wright has written to Hugh Robertson MP, Minister for Sport and the Olympics, calling for Telford to be included on the route.

The torch relay is expected to start in Britain on May 18 2012 before embarking on a 70-day trip around the UK.

Organisers are aiming for the torch to be within a one hour journey of 95 per cent of the country's population during the route.

Mr Wright said it would give the area a massive boost if Telford was chosen.

He said: "Ironbridge is a World Heritage Site of worldwide significance. It would be great if we could get the torch to come to Telford. We could get all the local schools involved and it would be a fantastic opportunity to promote the Olympics locally but also to promote Ironbridge."