The Paralympic Gold Postbox Challenge

During the London Olympics back in August 2012, Royal Mail announced that each gold medal winner would have a postbox painted gold in his or her home town. At the time, we didn’t really take much notice of this until a photo appeared on Facebook of Jessica’s godfather Bryan standing next to a gold postbox and challenging his friends to see who could visit the most. With a trip up north for a friend’s wedding planned followed by heading to Scotland to visit another one of Jessica’s godparents, hubby and I realised that we could fit in quite a few of the Olympic postboxes on our journey and so started our quest to visit them all.

The Paralympics hadn’t even started when we found our first gold postboxes which was a little frustrating as we discovered that the ones in Scotland were along the route we had originally taken on our first trip. It’s taken us three years but we have finally managed to visit all 46 Team GB Paralympic gold postboxes and 64 out of the 65 Olympic ones (just one more left on the Isle of Man and we’ll have completed the set!). Here’s where our travels have taken us:

 

September 2012

#1 – Sarah Storey (Women’s Individual Pursuit Cycling C5) – Disley

#2 – Birthplace of the Paralympics – Stoke Mandeville Hospital

October 2012

#3 – Sophie Christiansen (Equestrian – Individual Championship Test Grade 1a) – Fulmer

#4 – Naomi Riches (Rowing – Mixed Coxed Four) – Marlow

#5 – Sophie Christiansen (Equestrian – Team) – Maidenhead

#6 – Natasha Baker (Equestrian – Individual Championship Test Grade II) – Uxbridge

#7 – James Roe (Rowing – Mixed Coxed Four) – Stratford-upon-Avon

 

May 2013

#8 – Natasha Baker (Equestrian – Individual Championship Test Grade II) – Uxbridge

 

June 2013

#9 – Deborah Criddle (Equestrian – team) – Trull

#10 – Jonathan Fox (Swimming – Men’s 100m Backstroke S7) – St Stephen-in-Brannell

#11 – Helena Lucas (Sailing – One Person Keelboat 2.4Metre) – Easton

#12 – Sophie Christiansen (Equestrian – Individual Championship Test Grade Ia) – Sunningdale

#13 – Sophie Christiansen (Equestrian – Freestyle Dressage Grade 1a Test) – Egham

July 2013

#14 – David Weir (Athletics – Track Men’s 800m T54) – Wallington

#15 – David Weir (Athletics – Track Men’s 5000m T54) – Wallington

#16 – David Weir (Athletics – Men’s Marathon T54) – Wallington

#17 – David Weir (Athletics – Track Men’s 1500m T54) – Wallington

August 2013

#18 – Josef Craig (Swimming – Men’s 400m freestyle S7) – Jarrow

#19 – Craig MacLean (Cycling – Men’s sprint) – Wilmslow

#20 – Sarah Storey (Cycling – Track Women’s 500m Time Trial C4-5) – Poynton

#21 – Barney Storey (Cycling – Track Men’s Individual B 1km Time Trial) – Disley

#22 – Sarah Storey (Cycling – Women’s Road Race C4-5) – Macclesfield

#23 – Lee Pearson (Equestrian – team) – Bagnall

 

 

May 2014

#24 – Lily van den Broecke (Rowing – Mixed Coxed Four) – Oxford

August 2014

#25 – Jessica-Jane Applegate (Swimming – Women’s 100m freestyle S14) – Belton with Browston

#26 – Jonnie Peacock (Athletics – Men’s 100m, T44) – Doddington

#27 – Sophie Well (Equestrian – team) – Lincoln

#28 – Richard Whitehead (Athletics – Track Men’s 200m T42) – Lowdham

#29 – Oliver Hynd (Swimming – Men’s 200m individual medley, SM8) – Kirkby-in-Ashfield

#30 – Anthony Kappes (Cycling – Men’s sprint) – Chapel-en-le-Frith

#31 – Mickey Bushell (Athletics – Mens 100m) – Telford

#32 – Ellie Simmonds (Swimming – Women’s 400m freestyle S6) – Aldridge

#33 – Pam Relph (Rowing – Mixed Coxed Four) – Weston Turville

March 2015

#34 – Heather Frederiksen (Swimming – Women’s 100m backstroke S8) – Leigh

#35 – Sarah Storey (Cycling – Women’s Road Time Trial C5) – Eccles

#36 – David Smith (Rowing – Mixed coxed four) – Aviemore

#37 – Craig MacLean (Cycling – Men’s sprint) – Grantown-in-Spey

April 2015

#38 – Neil Fachie (Cycling – Track Men’s Individual B 1km Time Trial) – Aberdeen

#39 – David Stone (Cycling – Mixed Road Race T1-2) – Rawdon

#40 – Danielle Brown (Archery – Women’s Individual Compound (Open)) – Skipton

#41 – Hannah Cockcroft (Athletics – Track Women’s 200m T34) – Halifax

#42 – Hannah Cockcroft (Athletics – Track Women’s 100m T34) – Halifax

#43 – Josie Pearson (Athletics – Women’s Discus Throw F51/52/53) – Hay-on-Wye

#44 – Aled Davies (Men’s discus throw) – Brigend

#45 – Ellie Simmonds (Swimming – Women’s 200m individual medley SM6) – Swansea

#46 – Mark Colbourne (Cycling – Track Men’s C1 3km Pursuit) – Tredegar

 

One of the lovely things about looking back over the challenge is seeing how Jessica has grown since we first started it just before her first birthday. By the halfway point, she had got quite used to visiting gold postboxes and sitting on them whilst holding a sign and waiting for Mummy to take a few photos. Then we have the arrival of Sophie in the photos – firstly as a baby and then towards the end it is Sophie who is often sitting on the postbox (Jessica having now become aware that she could potentially fall off and therefore much less willing to sit on the postboxes!)

 

It has been a great way to help plan our holidays around the country and we have visited so many places that we probably would never have been to had it not been for taking part in the challenge. I have to say though, I am quite looking forward to the prospect of having a holiday that doesn’t involve having an epic road trip around the country!