11:09AM, Wed Sep 12, 2012

Gold Post Box In Jarrow For Teenage Paralympic Hero Josef Craig

By India Adams Location: Jarrow

Video: The post box painted in honour of Paralympian Josef Craig

Paralympic record-breaker Josef Craig has been honoured with a gold post box in his home town of Jarrow.

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The transformation of the box on Grange Road took around four hours to complete on Saturday September 8.

And the Post Office it stands beside is now selling special edition first-class stamps bearing Josef's image.

The 15-year-old smashed his own world record to take gold in the men's 400m freestyle final.

His time of 4m 42.82 secs was nearly 12 secs faster than his personal best prior to the semi-final and made him Great Britain's youngest male Paralympic medal winner in the pool.

His proud grandparents Ken and Mary Craig are among his biggest fans.

Mary said: "When we were watching him on the telly we were shouting so much that Ken was choking and my heart was ready to burst.

"When he broke the world record it was brilliant and then he came again and won the gold."

The special edition first class stamp bearing Josef's image

Josef, who swims for South Tyneside Swimming club was diagnosed with celebral palsy when he was just nine months old.

Mary, from Felling in Gateshead, said: "When we went to see him on sports day at infants school he was miles behind the others.

"But in the pool he's better than his classmates, he's at home in the water.

"When he gets home I'll kiss the face off him and granddad will give him a hug."

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "We are delighted at the way our Gold Post Boxes and Gold Medal Stamps have captured the public’s imagination.

"The post boxes have become tourist attractions in their own right and the stamps give people a great chance to join in the celebrations for their local heroes.

“It’s great that we have now been able to celebrate a local hero on Tyneside in this way.”