Fourteen stamps and a prestige booklet celebrating the 2015 NatWest Island Games will be issued by Jersey Post on 27 June 2015, the day of the opening ceremony.

The stamps, which feature a series of dynamic photographs taken by Jersey photographer Andy Le Gresley, represent each of the fourteen sporting categories taking place in this exciting week-long event.

Since 1985, the Island Games have become an important fixture in the sporting calendars of island nations around the world. Originally intended as a one-off sporting celebration, over the years the Games have grown in both popularity and stature to become a prestigious, biennial multi-sports event. Having last hosted the event in 1997, Jersey is proud to be home to the NatWest Island Games this year. From 27 June to 3 July 2015, 400 Jersey Games volunteers or ‘Games Makers’ will welcome around 2,600 athletes from 23 visiting islands.

“The NatWest Island Games is a really exciting occasion for Jersey and it’s brilliant to be able to celebrate it in this way,” comments Rachel MacKenzie, Philatelic Marketing Manager at Jersey Post. “The fourteen sport-themed stamps carry an international postcard tariff which means that as well as being able to use them on local and UK mail, they can also be used to send postcards from Jersey anywhere in the world, perfect for visiting athletes who would like to post a piece of the action back home.”

As part of the issue, a special prestige booklet has been produced to commemorate this significant event, featuring five exclusive panes of stamps, additional photography and information about the Games. Jersey Post has also produced a matching set of NatWest Island Games postcards. Like the stamps, the fourteen postcards represent each of the sporting categories, featuring alternative sporting shots by Andy Le Gresley.

The sporting categories in the 2015 NatWest Island Games are: archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, cycling, football, golf, sailing and windsurfing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, tennis, triathlon, volleyball and beach volleyball.

The stamps and philatelic stamp products such as stamp sets, First Day Covers, Presentation Packs and Prestige Booklets can be ordered now at www.jerseystamps.com or by telephoning the Jersey Philatelic Bureau on (01534) 516320. The stamps will be available to buy from all branches of Jersey Post from Saturday 27 June 2015 with First Day Covers, Presentation Packs and postcards available from the main post office at Broad Street.