The Liberation of Europe – WW II Isle of Man Post Office Stamp Issue
18th April 2024
Commemorating both, the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings and the 80th anniversary of Operation Market Garden, Isle of Man Post Office (IOMPO) issues...
Isle of Man Post Office celebrates 50 years of postal independence
“For 50 years IOMPO has been a key part of the Island’s infrastructure and a trusted partner for our community. The postal industry plays an essential role in our society and the economy, linking the Island to the rest of the world. Whilst the landscape of the postal industry and our customer needs have drastically changed over time due to advancements in technology and habits, the loyal and dedicated team at IOMPO has worked incredibly hard to retain our self-funded status and ensure the IOMPO remains fit for purpose as a modern logistics business. I am pleased we have a programme of activities to celebrate our milestone anniversary with the community we are proud to serve. Our people and our customers have supported us since our inception 50 years ago, and we are very grateful for the part they have played in our business’ journey to date. As we look forward, it is undeniable that the postal industry will continue to evolve at a rapid pace. We remain committed to delivering our strategy to transform the business for future financial and environmental sustainability, making strides in our bid to become a greener organisation and continuing to meet the changing needs of our valued customers."
We have partnered with Manx National Heritage, who kindly offered their ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ to house a brand new collection that captured our journey through the past 50 years. The exhibition was installed at the Manx Museum in Douglas, ready to be viewed from 14th July and run until the 24th September 2023. Many of the artefacts and images have been provided by former IOMPO staff members and current employees. Alongside MNH, we would like to thank the public and of course all members of staff past and present to visited the Manx Museum and traveled through time with us. Should you sadly have missed the exhibition you can now view it here.
We have put together a treasure hunt to celebrate our historic anniversary with everyone on Island. On 2nd & 3rd September 2023 the public and all members of staff were invited to take part: A perfect way to spend an afternoon with your family or friends, clue searching around our wonderful Island. Once the first clue was found, the journey started a magical tour around locations picking up information, which the teams submitted back when the hunt was over. All correctly, completed submissions were in with a chance of taking home one of our top three prizes totalling a value of £250!
Correct submissions were drawn randomly, so it wan't a race! Participants could take their time, catch some brunch on your travels and make a day of it.
Thank you to everyone who took part in our Treasure Hunt and huge congratulations to all our winners:
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Nathan Holden & family 1st prize winner |
Suzie Maiden & son Charlie 2nd prize winner |
Sue & Denise McGlynn and daugter Aurora (not pictured) 3rd prize winner |
To celebrate our anniversary with the youngest members of our community we will be launching a 'Design a Postbox' competition this autumn. Out of all submissions, the winning design will be selected by our Chairman to then be foil wrapped around the post box at Nobles Hospital for everyone to see. We would like to encourage all children on the Island to take part in this competition and look forward to lots of creative submissions to choose from. Keep your eyes peeled for more details on our social media channels and here on our website.
Update 11th October 2023:
The competition is open to all ages and everyone is welcome to participate with the winners having their design featured on one of two post boxes in the community. The competition will be split in to two categories:
- Under 18s - Medical theme: Manx Healthcare. The winning design in this category will be featured on the post box at Nobles Hospital
- Over 18s - Manx theme: Our beautiful Island. The winning design in this category will be featured on the post box at Ronaldsway Airport.
Participants should download and use the template provided at the bottom of this page*. Deadline for submissions is Sunday 31st December 2023 at 23:59 GMT. T&Cs apply and can be found at the bottom of the page along with the respective privacy notice. Entries can be submitted via email: iompo50@iompost.com or by post to Design a Post Box, PO Box 10M, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM99 1BP. Winners will be contacted directly by the 50th Anniversary Committee in January 2024.
Good luck to everyone!
* Important: should you submit your entry via email, please keep hold of the original - should your entry be chosen as the winning desgin, we would have to receive the original artwork to be able to create the final design for the post box. Digital only submissions must be created as a vector file and supplied as .eps. Alternatively a minimum size of A2 at 300dpi needs to be provided. All digital artwork should be supplied in CMYK.
A set of seven commemorative stamps to be issued on 5th July 2023. Each of the first six stamps features a collage of recognisable issued stamps that are well-known and loved by locals and collectors worldwide, and represents the history of stamps from the Isle of Man, whilst the seventh stamp is a new design representing the Europa Stamp 2023.
As part of our on-going drive to become a greener organisation, earlier this year IOMPO has partnered with Manx Wildlife Trust (MWT), in honour of HM Queen Elizabeth II and her green canopy appeal announced to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. Part of the Exec team, alongside other members of staff, planted over 50 trees at the MWT Hairpin Woodland Park in Ramsey. IOMPO is very grateful for MWTs guidance and support in bringing this activity into fruition.