News

Six stamps and a Miniature Sheet, illustrated by artist Sara Menon, will be issued by Jersey Post on Wednesday 14 June, celebrating the legacies of Gerald Durrell and Charles Darwin. The animals and birds that feature on the stamps are subjects of conservation projects undertaken by Durrell with support from the Darwin Initiative, a United Kingdom Government grants scheme that helps to protect biodiversity and the natural environment, and which this year celebrates its 25th anniversary.

The Miniature Sheet, which has been printed on FSC certified sycamore, features a portrait of Charles Darwin and is the first Jersey stamp to be printed on wood. Durrell has partnered with the Darwin Initiative on many occasions during the course of its conservation programme as Lee Durrell explains:

“The Darwin Initiative has provided significant support to the Durrell mission for a quarter of a century, and I am delighted to see the relationship commemorated in this set of stamps produced by Jersey Post. The images depict the creatures we are helping to recover from the brink of extinction, all of which are ‘typical’ Durrell species, from a very large frog to a tiny pig – the small and less showy animals which Gerald Durrell said, have just as much right to exist as the big, cuddly ones. Thanks once again to Jersey Post for bringing attention to our work in this unique way!”

Featured on the stamps are: the mangrove finch, Livingstone’s fruit bat, Telfair’s skink, the mountain chicken, Hispaniolan solenodon and the pygmy hog. The accompanying Miniature Sheet, printed on FSC certified sycamore wood, features a portrait of Charles Darwin, a source of inspiration for naturalists and conservationists all over the world:

“This is the first time a Jersey stamp has been printed on wood,” comments Melanie Gouzinis, Head of Philatelic at Jersey Post. “We felt the technique was a perfect fit for this issue and the fact that the wood grain can be seen through the image means that each of the Miniature Sheets is unique.”

Jersey Post’s Durrell & Darwin stamps will be available to buy from all branches of Jersey Post from 14 June 2017. Philatelic stamp products such as First Day Covers and Presentation Packs will be available from the Jersey post offices at Broad Street, St Helier and Rue Des Pres, St Saviour on issue day and can be ordered now at www.jerseystamps.com or by telephoning the Jersey Philatelic Bureau on: 00 44 (0)1534 516320.