A SPECIAL connection to Malvern will feature on the UK’s new £5 note which will be circulated to millions of people later this year.
The Bank of England’s chief cashier Victoria Cleland, who was raised in Malvern and attended Ellerslie School, will have her signature on the new note which is to be released on September 13.
The 46-year-old’s signature will also feature on the new £10 note, which is expected to be released next summer, featuring renowned novelist Jane Austin.
Made out of polymer, a thin flexible plastic, the new five pound note will have more than double the durability of the original paper note as well as having extra security features to reduce forgery.
West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin met up with Victoria in Westminster to preview the new plastic note.
Mrs Baldwin said: “It is nice to note that a little bit of the county stays on our currency with Victoria’s signature on every one of the new fivers.
“Local businesses will need to prepare for the arrival of the new note and this was a chance for me to see the note and understand the technology in use to prevent fraud.
Following the issuing of the new fivers which feature Sir Winston Churchill, paper £5 notes will slowly be withdrawn from circulation.
The public can continue to spend the current £5 notes as usual until May next year when they end as legal tender.
However, paper notes can still be exchanged at the Bank of England following this date.
