Business News
Team GB win celebrated on next day Gold Medal stamp
Thursday 02. August 2012 - Helen Glover and Heather Stanning win celebrated with next day Olympic Gold Medal stamp:
Royal Mail will have available by lunchtime tomorrow a Gold Medal stamp to celebrate Helen Glover and Heather Stanning’s gold medal win in the Women’s Pairs rowing final
The gold medal win makes Helen and Heather the first all-female sports team to appear on a Royal Mail stamp as well as the first ever British gold medallists in women’s Olympic rowing
This is Team GB’s first Gold Medal moment at London 2012, and the first stamp that Royal Mail has produced within 24 hours
The stamp will be on sale in over 500 Post Office branches, including in Helen’s home town of Penzance and Reading, Berkshire where the pair live
A fleet of 90 Royal Mail vehicles will deliver the stamps across the UK to over 500 Post Offices to be on sale by lunchtime tomorrow
Royal Mail will also paint a much-loved red post box gold in each of their hometowns of Lossiemouth, Moray and Penzance, Cornwall to celebrate their gold medal win
To celebrate Team GB’s first gold medal moment at London 2012, Royal Mail will produce a stamp in 24 hours to honour Helen and Heather’s gold medal triumph in the Women’s Pairs Rowing.
The gold medal win makes Helen and Heather the first members of Team GB to appear on Royal Mail’s Gold Medal stamps and the first all-women sports team ever to appear on a Royal Mail stamp. They are also the first ever British gold medallists in women’s Olympic rowing.
Moya Greene, Royal Mail Chief Executive, said: “We’re delighted to be issuing these very special Gold Medal stamps to recognise our Olympic champion UK athletes.
“This is a first for Royal Mail and we are proud to play our part in celebrating the many victories this summer.
“We will be printing millions of stamps to enable customers to celebrate these sporting successes and I’m sure they will be treasured as unique souvenirs of Team GB’s victories for years to come.”
Royal Mail will also paint one of its much-loved red post boxes gold in the pair’s hometowns of Lossiemouth and Penzance to celebrate their gold medal win.
The stamps will be on sale by lunchtime tomorrow in over 500 Post Offices across the UK. Many of these branches are opening on Sundays for the first time during the Games, so fans can celebrate Team GB’s achievements and start a unique and special London 2012 souvenir collection.
Residents of Helen’s home town of Penzance in Cornwall will be able to buy the stamps in Post Office branches in the town, as well as in Reading where the pair live and train.
As soon as Helen and Heather won their gold medal, Getty Images, the official Photo Agency of the IOC, submitted a selection of the best images from that moment to the eight-strong Royal Mail design team. The Royal Mail design team had just one hour to review all the images sent, locate the most fitting and atmospheric image, crop and refine the photo, add Helen and Heather’s name, then position within the templated design of the six-stamp miniature sheet.
On stand-by, poised to collect the completed sheets once printed, are a fleet of 90 Royal Mail vehicles ready to deliver them to over 500 Post Offices to be on sale by lunchtime tomorrow.
An additional 4,700 post offices will receive the Gold Medal stamps within a week.