A POSTBOX in South Gloucestershire will not be painted bronze to celebrate Downend snowboarder Jenny Jones’ Olympic medal after Royal Mail turned down the request.

South Gloucestershire Council applied for the box in the Sochi 2014 bronze medallist’s hometown to be painted shortly after she became the first Briton to win an Olympic medal on snow.

But Royal mail said it was not extending the gesture, which it embraced during the summer Olympics of London 2012 by allowing 100 post boxes to be painted, to future Olympians.

Mike Norman, from Royal Mail, said London 2012 had been a unique event.

"Because of our status as the host nation, Royal Mail chose to mark the achievement of our athletes through gold post boxes as well as stamps,” he said.

"We will not be repeating this for the winter Olympics 2014."

The council said it was "unfortunate" and her local councillor said it was "a great pity" not to mark her success.

A South Gloucestershire Council spokesman said: "Unfortunately our request to mark Jenny Jones' medal success at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics by painting a postbox bronze in her honour was not taken up by Royal Mail."

A similar request for a gold postbox in Kent to mark the success of skeleton star Lizzy Yarnold, Britain's only gold medallist at Sochi, was also rejected.

Jenny, 33, attended Hambrook Primary School and later The Ridings’ High School, now Winterbourne International Academy, before becoming a snowboarder.

To mark her homecoming from the Russian games, the council alongside Bristol City Council organised an open top bus tour from Downend into the city followed by a reception at City Hall.