New £10 note to hit streets soon
ANEW £10 note will be in the hands of Halton residents from September. The design of the new polymer currency features the world-renowned author Jane Austen.
It will be issued on Thursday, September 14, and the public will begin to see them in the following days and weeks as the notes leave cash centres around the country and enter general circulation.
Runcornians and Widnesians can continue to spend paper £10 notes as usual and these will be gradually withdrawn as they are banked by retailers and the public.
Legal tender status of the current paper £10 featuring Charles Darwin will be withdrawn next spring with the exact date being announced at least three months in advance.
Governor of the Bank Of England (BOE) Mark Carney said: “Our banknotes serve as repositories of the country’s collec- ● tive memory, promoting awareness of the United Kingdom’s glorious history and highlighting the contributions of its greatest citizens.
“The new £10 note celebrates Jane Austen’s work.
“Austen’s novels have a universal appeal and speak as powerfully today as they did when they were first published. The new £10 will be printed on polymer, making it safer, stronger and cleaner.
“The note will also include a new tactile feature on the £10 to help the visually impaired, ensuring the nation’s money is as inclusive as possible.”
A BOE spokesman said the new note’s ‘sophisticated’ security features make it ‘sophisticated’ security features.
It is expected to last at least two-and-a-half times longer than the current paper £10 notes – around five years in total – and stay in better condition during day to day use.
It will be the first BOE banknote with a tactile feature to help blind and partially sighted users.
It will have a series of raised dots in the top left-hand corner and has been developed in conjunction with the Royal National Institute Of Blind People.
This is in addition to the elements already incorporated in Bank Of England banknotes for vision impaired people; the tiered sizing, bold numerals, raised print and differing colour palettes.
BOE’s chief cashier Victoria Cleland said: “The new £10 note marks the next exciting step in our introduction of cleaner, safer, stronger polymer banknotes, and I am grateful to the cash industry for their work towards a smooth transition.
“I am delighted that the Jane Austen £10 note incorporates an innovative tactile feature, which I hope will greatly benefit blind and partially sighted users.”