Johnson was at Wimbledon Station this morning to unveil the uniforms and one of the pods and meet some of the 8,000 strong volunteer army who form the Team London Ambassadors as part of the "Summer Like No Other" programme.

The Ambassadors, who are different to the London 2012 Games Makers, will be on hand throughout the Games in London to ensure that visitors to the capital are able to navigate their way around London, find specific tourist sites and accommodation.

"They are here to be the optimistic positive face of London, to help people in everything they need to know about our city, how it works, the best way to enjoy it and the Games," Johnson told insidethegames.

"Without being irritating they are there to be exuberantly positive about London.


"They are going to show people how to use the Oyster card, how to use the bikes, where the cashpoints are, [where] the buses are and where a range of accommodation to suit all budgets can be found.

"This is an important part [of the Games] because what these guys are doing is being the face of London to the world."

While insisting they were massively over subscribed with over 30,000 applicants, Johnson said that he wanted more people to get involved in other Team London activities to help during the Games this summer.

Johnson also met with 30 Team London Ambassadors, who were dressed in brightly coloured purple outfits, and will be based at over 40 locations across London, including Trafalgar Square, the Houses of Parliament and St Paul's Cathedral.


The volunteers speak a range of languages, including Albanian and Vietnamese, and of them, Gerry Sheridan (pictured above, left of Johnson) from Ilford, attended the 1948 Olympic Games, the last time the quadrennial event came to London.

"As a 15-year-old boy I was lucky enough to attend the 1948 Olympic Games after being given tickets by my school," said Sheridan.

"It was only three years after the Second World War and the Games were something that gave us real encouragement during hard times.

"Having the Games back some 63 years later and being able to welcome people from around the world as a Team London Ambassador makes me feel so proud to be a Londoner."

It was also announced that as part of the "Summer Like No Other", a two week public exhibition has been opened at London's City Hall to give visitors to the capital a taste of how it will look and feel during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

It will show examples of how towns and high streets are going to be involved during Games time.

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