London 2012: Stamp honour for Paralympic gold winners

Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson says the Paralympics are returning home

Every British athlete who wins gold at the London 2012 Paralympics will appear on a stamp.

Royal Mail said the set of six first class stamps showing groups of winners, will be issued weeks after their victory.

Apart from the London 2012 Paralympics logo and the Queen's Head, the look of the stamp has not been confirmed.

Royal Mail is also donating £200,000 which will be split equally between the ParalympicsGB gold medallists.

Fitting tribute

British Paralympic Association chief executive Tim Hollingsworth said: "Commemorating our gold medallists' achievements on a set of stamps is a first in the history of the Paralympic Games.

"It is a fitting tribute which demonstrates how far the movement has come in recent times."

The Paralympics can be traced back to a competition for the war wounded at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in 1948

Baroness Grey-Thompson, Britain's 11-time Paralympic athletics champion, said: "The return of the Paralympic Games to the UK makes it an even more special event and I look forward to celebrating every win with the team."

Royal Mail's chief executive Moya Greene described the stamps as "a wonderful way" for the nation to celebrate ParalympicsGB's "amazing achievement".

The six-pack will cost £3.60 and go on sale from September 27 to December 31.

The Paralympics run from 29 August to 9 September. There are hopes that ParalympicsGB may repeat the medal success of the 42 golds it won at Beijing 2008 to come second in the medals table.