The Royal Mail has announced a U-turn and said it will issue special stamps, and paint a postbox gold in commemoration of each British winner of a gold medal at the forthcoming Paralympic Games.

It had originally said the stamp-issuing programme would be confined to the London Olympics, with a single set of six stamps to mark the collective efforts of Team GB's Paralympics competitors.

But yesterday it said gold-winning Paralympians will get their own stamp, in addition to the postbox tribute.

Andrew Hammond, managing director of Royal Mail Stamps, said giving Britain's Paralympics winners the same tribute as their able-bodied counterparts was the "right thing to do".

It could mean the postbox painting teams and Royal Mail stamp designers are kept busy – at the 2008 games, Team GB's paralympians won 42 gold medals.

And Mr Hammond didn't underestimate the effort which his staff may be called on to make, calling it "the greatest logistical challenge in stamps production undertaken by any postal administration".

The gold Paralympic stamps will be available in sheets of two for £1.20.