Isle of Man Post Office is delighted to release this special sheetlet celebrating landmark events and some of the many achievements of H R H Prince Philip in the year that sees him celebrate his 100th Birthday in June. Born in Corfu and educated in England, he is the oldest surviving great-great-grandchild of Queen Victoria. Created by local designer Emma Cooke of EJC Design, this sheetlet presents the Duke of Edinburgh at various stages throughout his life including his military background and his marriage to HM Queen Elizabeth II.
2021 also marks the 65th Anniversary of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme introduced by HRH, a voluntary youth award that recognizes young people aged between 14 and 25 for completing a series of self-improvement exercises. The scheme presents an opportunity to discover new interests and talents and is a tool to develop essential skills for life and work. It was first delivered to the Isle of Man in 1958 and has to this day seen approx. 470 Gold Awards presented on the Island.
In 2000 a fund was set up with money from the Isle of Man Government, the lottery trust and local businesses. The registered charity called ‘The Mann 2000 Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Fund’ allows young people taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme to apply for grants, helping towards the cost of taking part in activities such as: off-Island expeditions, equipment, lessons or courses.
Alison Barnes, Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards’ Coordinator tells us that: “To date more than 370 young people have been able to complete sections of the Award. With the help of grants from this fund, they have learned new skills and gained some fantastic experiences and memories from participating. The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and The Mann 2000 Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Fund in the Isle of Man are happy to be associated with this stamp issue, and hope that it will help encourage more young people to take part.”
Maxine Cannon, General Manager Isle of Man Stamps & Coins, said: “Royal stamp issues are an integral part of our issue programme and we are delighted to celebrate H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh in his centenary year with this commemorative sheetlet. We also would like to thank Alison Barnes for all her guidance regarding the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, which we are happy to support with a donation. We hope that many young Islanders will be awarded with this prestigious award in the future.”
The sheetlet will be issued on 31st March 2021 and is limited to only 3000 copies which are numbered and certified. For further information, please visit www.iompost.com/prince-philip.