New Winston Churchill £5 note in use this month
Howard Lake | 5 September 2016 | News
The new design for the £5 note, featuring Sir Winston Churchill on the reverse, will come into circulation on 13 September.
The new note is printed on polymer, a thin, flexible plastic that is resistant to dirt and moisture. They should last longer than the current cloth-printed notes. They can also be recycled when they reach the end of their life.
New security features include a see-through window and the foil Elizabeth Tower which is gold on the front of the note and silver on the back.
Advertisement
Churchill was chosen as the subject for the reverse of the note in April 2013.
The £10 and £20 notes will also be replaced over the next few years with new designs and they too will be made from polymer.
What to do
The Bank of England states that current paper £5 notes will continue in circulation, so either version will for a while be legal tender.
In May 2017 the paper £5 note will cease to be legal tender. Nevertheless, if you have one in your possession after that date, you will still be able to exchange it at the Bank of England.
The Bank of England has published advice for retailers on what to do to handle the new polymer £5 notes. There is more detail about the new note from TheNewFiver.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.