David Cameron backing Henley's golden pillar box bid

The Royal Mail is painting post boxes to honour every gold medal winner

Prime Minister David Cameron has leant his support to calls for a golden post box in the Oxfordshire town of Henley-on-Thames.

The town is home to the prestigious Leander Club, which has trained more than 100 Olympic medal-winning rowers.

Its mayor, Elizabeth Hodgkin, said: "We have the ideal post box right in the middle of town which would look wonderful gold."

Mr Cameron agreed, saying he thought that it sounded like a good idea.

He added: "Royal Mail have had an excellent Olympic Games. They've produced these stamps, they are painting the pill boxes.

"I don't know who is doing the thinking for them but I think they've been really on the ball so why not Henley? Very good idea."

The town is holding a victory bus parade for more than 24 Olympians on 25 August, along with a civic reception.

Ms Hodgkin said she hoped the golden post box could be painted by then.

'Fantastic history'

Alex Gregory, who won a gold medal at London 2012 in the men's coxless four, said the town probably would get its golden post box.

He added: "I'm sure there must be someone who has won a gold medal, there seems to be so many around at the moment from Team GB."

Andy Triggs Hodge, who helped his teammate take Great Britain to a fourth successive Olympic title in the event, said Henley should be recognised.

"Henley has delivered a fantastic history and legacy and it deserves its pillar box," said Mr Triggs Hodge.

"You know what Henley has done for rowing, they've gone over their hundred-mark now with gold medals from [the Leander Club] and Henley deserves its gold post box without a shadow of a doubt."

In the village of Checkendon a phonebox has been painted gold

But the Royal Mail said it was only painting the golden post boxes in "winners' home towns, or towns with which they are closely associated".

A spokesman added: "This could be where they were born, where they grew up or where they presently live and we look at all these factors before reaching a considered choice."

In the nearby village of Checkendon, the parish council decided to paint its phone box gold.

The telephone box was bought by the village a few months ago and councillor Tim Corbishley, who is in charge of the renovations, thought he would paint it gold as a temporary measure.

He said he did it as a celebration of the Team GB's success and added: "Checkendon is a very quiet village so it needed just a bit of excitement."