SOME of the most iconic people and places of the South West will be celebrated in the activities commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Special Stamps programme, Royal Mail has announced.

This year marks the 50th year of the Special Stamp programme which celebrates events and commemorates anniversaries relevant to UK heritage and life.

The area features strongly in Special Stamp issues over the past 50 years, with icons including the SS Great Britain and Clifton Suspension Bridge appearing on the stamps.

As part of the programme to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Special Stamp programme, Royal Mail has launched an online gallery of every Special Stamp issued since July 1965, which includes images of the stamps featuring the iconic buildings and landscapes of the region.

Visitors to the site at www.rmspecialstamps.com can browse through the stamps by the decade and also view the stamps that were issued in the year that they were born.

Criteria for the creation of Special Stamps to celebrate events and commemorate anniversaries relevant to UK heritage and life was devised in 1965 by the then postmaster general, Tony Benn.

The stamp of Sir Winston Churchill, issued in July of that year, was the first under Benn’s administration. It was the first British stamp to feature a contemporary individual and with its bold modernist approach with no words, it set the scene for the future. Including these, 2,663 Special Stamps have been issued.

A video presented by broadcaster and historian Dan Snow, which explores how the Special Stamp programme has been shaped by the changing face of the UK, is also hosted on the www.rmspecialstamps.com website.

Since the scheme started, 2,663 Special Stamps have been issued. Her Majesty the Queen approves all UK stamp designs before they are printed.