Special £5 coin issued for 150th anniversary of British Red Cross
THE ROYAL Mint has launched a new £5 coin to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the British Red Cross.
The coin, designed by Henry Gray, celebrates the organisation’s work in the UK and globally as part of the international Red Cross movement and features overlapping lines and a map of the UK.
An inscription around the coin reads “per humanitatem ad pacem”, which translates to “through humanity to peace”.
A total of 150 of the coins are being handed out to volunteers and staff at the Red Cross who have been nominated by their colleagues as a mark of thanks for their work and time.
Sandra Fisher, from Newport in S outh Wales, has been volunteering for 27 years and will receive a coin after contributing to the charity’s coronavirus effort from her home while isolating.
Ms Fisher said she feels “very honoured and privileged to be recognised in this way”, adding: “I’ve always tried to do everything I can to help people.”
The charity’s boss said the organisation was “honoured” by the commemoration as he paid tribute to staff and volunteers.
Chief executive Mike Adamson said: “Today our staff and volunteers are putting kindness in action at the frontline of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We have been supporting the most vulnerable by delivering food and medicine, making sure refugees and people seeking asylum are safe, providing a supportive ear through our national support line and helping the NHS to get patients home from hospital.”
He added: “From then to now, it’s all down to the dedication of our volunteers, staff and the generosity of our supporters that we can continue our lifesaving work.
“And it is the power of their kindness that will ensure we are there for those who need us most for many years to come.”
The British Red Cross respond in both domestic and international crises, such as the Grenfell Tower fire and tsunami in the Indian Ocean on Boxing Day 2004.
Founded in 1870 as the British National Society for Aid to the Sick and Wounded in War, it is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement set up in 1863 and inspired by Swiss businessman Henry Dunant. He proposed creating national relief societies, made up of volunteers, trained in peacetime to provide neutral and impartial help to relieve suffering in times of war.