10 READERS MUST EACH WIN A SET OF ROYAL MAIL MINT STAMPS!

RARE BIRDS SOAR ON LATEST ROYAL MAIL STAMPS Some of the UK's rarest birds will be celebrated on ten 1st Class stamps from Royal Mail.

Birds' is the first of a new series of stamps entitled Action for Species', which examines how the UK's endangered species are on the road to recovery after years of serious decline.

Issued on 4 September, all the birds species featured on the stamps remain on the RSPB endangered list. Designer Kate Stephens has added two sets of population figures to each stamp to highlight how close each of the birds came to extinction. These figures show the recovery of the species over time.

The Presentation Pack, written by the naturalist and wildlife film maker Tony Soper, is packed with information about why so many species were almost wiped out and how organisations like the RSPB is helping them recover. Fittingly it contains the story of the Avocet, the elegant wader with the upturned bill that is the emblem of the RSPB. It was extinct in the UK for more than a century, but now represents one of the greatest successes in wildlife conservation.

Julietta Edgar, Head of Special Stamps, Royal Mail said: "Birds is a great example of how special stamps can bring together a series of beautiful images to deliver a powerful conservation message to millions of people.

"While the stamps provide us with the chance to see these birds in their natural habitat, the captions reveal another story: a catastrophic decline in numbers which, thankfully, is being reversed."

To enter, simply answer the question published in this week's Ludlow & Tenbury Wells Advertiser. Edition dated 13th September.