Barn owls, bees, puffins and hedgehogs to feature on UK banknotes

Barn Owls, Bees, Puffins & Hedgehogs to Feature on New UK Banknotes

Bank of England Announces Native Wildlife on Future Banknotes

By David Milliken

Overview of the New Banknote Designs

LONDON, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Barn owls, bumblebees, puffins and hedgehogs will feature on new Bank of England banknotes over the coming years, replacing World War Two leader Winston Churchill and other historic figures, the Bank of England said on Thursday.

Reason for the Change

The BoE's decision in March to no longer feature famous Britons on future banknotes, in favour of native wildlife, dismayed politicians across the political spectrum and prompted speculation that the central bank wanted to avoid controversies around historic figures.

The BoE said the change would make its banknotes more distinctive and harder to counterfeit, and followed a public consultation where people had been invited to choose between different categories of images.

Public Consultation and Selection Process

Almost 500,000 people voted on a selection of 18 animals released by the central bank in June.

Most Popular Animals

The buff-tailed bumblebee was the most popular creature on the shortlist, followed by the barn owl and the European hedgehog. Red foxes and common kingfishers received more votes than the Atlantic puffin, which the BoE selected to ensure a marine animal was on the list.

Public Reaction

"I am delighted that nearly half a million people responded to our wildlife imagery consultation, showing that cash still matters," BoE Chief Cashier Victoria Cleland said.

Context: Cash Usage in the UK

Cash usage has fallen steeply in Britain in recent years, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic which led to almost all retailers accepting contactless card and smartphone payments.

Under 10% of payments were made by cash in 2024, but trade body UK Finance said it expected the decline to level off as a small percentage of Britons strongly preferred to use cash.

Timeline for New Notes

The new banknotes will continue to feature the monarch. The £5 Churchill note, issued in 2016, is the first due to be replaced, followed by the £10 with novelist Jane Austen, £20 with artist JMW Turner and £50 with mathematician Alan Turing.

(Reporting by David MillikenEditing by Tomasz Janowski)