Guernsey Post’s philatelic bureau announces the release of Europa stamps depicting symbols of peace, which have been designed by local agency Two Degrees North (stamp issue date: 24 May 2023).

Bridget Yabsley, head of philatelic at Guernsey Post, said: – “Europa stamps are issued every year by members of PostEurop, the trade association which represents the interests of European public postal operators, and a theme is set for members to interpret and illustrate on their stamps.

“For 2023, at the suggestion of the Ukrainian post office, the theme is Peace – the highest value of humanity, to show solidarity with Ukraine and also reflecting the origins of EUROPA stamps, which are rooted in peace and unity among European countries.

“The concept for the Guernsey stamps is everyone on earth being at peace with each other and they have been designed so that the symbols of peace on earth are being viewed from space.”

The stamps:

56p: The dove has been a symbol of peace and innocence for thousands of years in many different cultures and is depicted with arms embracing the world.

79p: The handshake is a symbol of friendship and harmony.

87p: The astronauts are non-gender with no political/racial bias; they embrace one another to represent peace and harmony.

£1.21: The EUROPA winning stamp design represents and depicts the theme. It was inspired by the Celtic Love Knot symbol, with interlocking hearts. The colour palette illustrates all the nations in the world.

£1.39: In the 1950s, a symbol was designed for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), a group at the forefront of the peace movement in the UK. It has become an almost universal peace symbol used in many different versions worldwide.

£1.50: The world depicting environmental elements all living in harmony and peace.

The stamps are available to order now at www.guernseystamps.com or by calling Philatelic Customer Services on +44 (0) 1481 716486.