England get stamp of approval

Three of England's Ashes stars are to be honoured with a set of special Royal Mail stamps. Andrew Flintoff, Kevin Pietersen, Michael Vaughan will be the first living people, apart from the Royal Family, to be recognisable on stamps.

The collection will be available from October 6 and consists of two first class stamps and two 68p stamps - which, coincidently, is the cost of sending a letter to Australia. Julietta Edgar, the head of special stamps, said they wanted to do something to recognise the achievements of the team.

"Royal Mail is committed to celebrating social themes and important occasions central to our way of life: England's victory in this summer's Ashes series certainly counts as a momentous occasion. I'm sure the public will love using these stamps every day to continue the legacy of this sporting achievement."

This is the latest recognition to the team, which has included Vaughan and Flintoff being given the freedom of Sheffield and Preston respectively. The Royal Mail issued a set of stamps to celebrate England's Rugby World Cup win, against Australia, in 2003 and the awarding of the 2012 Olympics to London. However, no sports stars were clearly identifiable on the stamps.