Study in Gold

Remember this pillarbox in the Hampshire sailing town of Lymington?
There was quite a furore three years ago when it was unofficially painted gold to honour the town’s Olympic sailing gold medalist, Sir Ben Ainslie whose home is in the town.
Restaurant owner Rob Smith who first painted it gold in honour of Ben was initially arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, and Royal Mail at first said that a pillar box in Cornwall, where Ben spent childhood years should be the only one painted gold.  But changed its mind in the face of a campaign supporting the gold honour in Lymington.
Police took no further action, and Royal Mail then repainted the pillarbox itself.
Not only that, they fixed a plaque to the side of the postbox recording Ben’s achievement in the London 2012 Olympic Games.

His gold in the Olympic Sailing at Weymouth and Portland was his fourth Olympic Gold. Currently he is leading Britain’s bid to win the celebrated America’s Cup in Bermuda in 2017.