Sunrisegirl Thank you, but I am not frustrated, at least with regard to this situation. I was fully aware of the risks around non-refundable tickets when I made this particular and many other bookings. That is precisely why I have travel insurance

One point to note that I was not fully aware of until now is that my policy, and I am sure many others, have a maximum pay out to cover non-refundable tickets and hotel costs. In my case it is 5,000 GBP per person which does cover my outgoings - just.