Cycling Dynamo Lizzie Armitstead Powers Hornby London 2012 Games Window

11 May 2011

Adding further to the excitement of the morning’s activities, Olympic mascot Wenlock will be popping down to cheer Lizzie on and may even challenge her himself! Shoppers will be able to meet with these iconic representatives of the London 2012 Olympic Games whilst they watch a real life Olympian in action.

To help celebrate, the Royal Mint is also offering a coin swap on the 4th floor for one day only*where customers can swap a standard 50p for a shiny new commemorative London 2012 cycling 50p worth £2.99. The cycling 50p is the first ever UK coin to be designed by a teenager and is part of 29 Olympic and Paralympic 50p coins, designed by the nation, depicting every sport to be competed in at London 2012. The collection is available to buy from Hamleys and www.royalmint.com.

This September, Hornby Hobbies will also be launching an exclusive Scalextric Velodrome set – for the first time, racers will be able to take up the challenge of being the next Lizzie Armitstead as they compete on a miniature version of the actual Olympic track!

Nat Southworth, Hornby Hobbies Sales and Marketing Director, commented: “Hamleys is a truly British and iconic store and it is a real honour to have been given pride of place in its window. What’s more, having a future Olympic hero powering one of our train sets is the stuff of dreams and we hope fans and shoppers will enjoy challenging Lizzie at her own game. This Hornby display allows our heritage brand to showcase the ultimate London 2012 collection and demonstrate our support for what is sure to be the most exciting event in the world, set in the heart of the UK in 2012.”

Fergus Feeney, Director of the Royal Mint’s London 2012 Olympic Programme said: “Creating the official coins for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games has been a huge honour and the 50p Sports Collection is very special having been designed by the nation. The supersized 1 foot replicas of the 50p coins miraculously floating in Hamleys store front are a fitting tribute to the designers and a reminder that we can all be part of London 2012.”

About Hornby Hobbies Limited

The Hornby brand is a household name and is famous as the UK brand leader in the model railway hobby. The Company’s brands include Hornby, Electrotren, Lima, Bassett-Lowke, Rivarossi, Jouef and Arnold in model railways; Scalextric and Superslot in slot racing; Airfix and Humbrol in model kits and paints and Corgi in die cast.

Please see www.hornby.com,www.airfix.com,www.corgi.co.uk or www.scalextric.com for more information.

For more information about any of the Hornby ranges please contact Laura Allen at Threepipe

Tel: 0845 600 50 18 or e-mail: laura.allen@threepipe.co.uk

For more information on the Royal Mint’s London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic range, please contact Kristal Rix at Porter Novelli: kristal.rix@porternovelli.co.uk, 020 7853 2237