Gold postbox honours Sark's Carl Hester Olympic dressage win

Guernsey Post said it wanted to follow the Royal Mail's commitment to honour Team GB's successful gold Olympians

Sark's only postbox has been painted gold in honour of Olympian Carl Hester.

The 45-year-old, who was born in the Channel Island, was part of Team GB's dressage gold medal winners.

The Royal Mail has celebrated every British gold medal by painting a postbox in each Olympians' hometown and Guernsey Post said it could do no less.

Hester, who now lives and trains in Gloucestershire, could double his medal tally later when he competes in the individual dressage event on Uthopia.

Carl Hester could win an individual medal

Guernsey Post spokeswoman Cassandra Morris said she hoped the Royal Mail's special issue stamps of the gold medal dressage team would be on sale in Sark "very soon".

Last year he won team gold and individual silver at the European Championships and has won a total of 51 domestic dressage titles during his career.

Hester, Laura Bechtolsheimer and Charlotte Dujardin took first place ahead of Germany at Greenwich Park to claim Team GB's 20th gold medal of the 2012 Olympics.

Sark's postbox last changed colour in 1980 when it was painted blue by Guernsey Post - which is independent from the British Post Office.

The Royal Mail has confirmed postboxes in Ms Bechtolsheimer's home village of Ampney St Peter, Gloucestershire, and another in Enfield, north London, for Ms Dujardin have also been painted gold.