English Heritage has warned that the tradition of sending postcards "could become a distant nostalgic memory", after a survey found that more than half of Britons never send them. In response, the charity is giving free limited-edition postcards to children visiting 18 of its sites over the summer, in an effort to revive what it describes as a once-popular holiday tradition. The charity's Matt Thompson said there was "something genuinely sad about the idea of this tradition disappearing".

The new postcards were designed by illustrators Nick Sharratt and Sir Quentin Blake, and printed by Hastings-based Judges, described as the UK's last surviving postcard business. Its Graeme Wolford said annual sales had fallen from 12 million in the 1960s and 1970s to around 3 million in recent years, though postcards had evolved into something of a collector's item. English Heritage has also acquired around 800 historical postcards of Dover Castle, collected over decades by former head custodian Pat Cunningham, with a selection going on display on 18 July; postcards were first introduced to Britain in 1870, and by 1910 some 800 million were sent each year.