GB gold medallists for Paralympics will be recognised by Royal Mail

Another record for 2012, as for the first time a host country will issue stamps....

Another record for 2012, as for the first time a host country will issue stamps to celebrate its Paralympic gold medallists.

The Royal Mail has seen success over issuing stamps for Olympic gold medallists, with 29 gold medal stamps being released for the Olympic Games.

Now stamps will be made, and golden post boxes will be placed in home towns, for Team GB’s Paralympic winners.

It was understood the Paralympics would not mirror the Olympics with celebratory stamps, but now the Royal Mail’s change in decision will see six first-class stamps being created.

Chief Executive of the British Paralympic Association, Tim Hollingsworth, said: "We are delighted that the offer has been increased to enable individual stamps to celebrate our athletes' achievements and thank Royal Mail for reconsidering this proposal. 

"We hope that the whole nation will continue their support of British athletes and cheer us on to many gold medals." 

Managing Director of Royal Mail Stamps, Andrew Hammond, explained the Paralympic’s stamp decision followed “the popularity of Royal Mail's gold medal stamps and the way in which our gold post boxes have captured the public imagination”.

As quoted by The Independent, Mr Hammond declared the decision represented the "greatest logistical challenge in stamps production undertaken by any postal administration". 

He told ITV News: "Just as our Olympians outperformed expectations, we are confident that our Paralympians will also outperform.”

2012 will see the 14th Paralympics with the Games being held between 29th August and 9th September.

It is thought that 160 countries will take part in the 2012 Paralympic Games, nearing the Olympics total of around 200 nations who partook in competitions.

Team GB saw 42 gold medallists at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.