Jan 5: The pound in your pocket

We handle banknotes most days - they are part of our quotidian experience, although many people switched to paying for items by card during 2020. Contactless limits were raised from £30 to £45 so that more transactions could be contactless.
Messages appeared on ATMs to say that all the money inside them was sanitised and clean and COVID-free.

 The move to polymer notes has meant new designs, and we may notice these when we first see the note, but not much after that. A great deal of effort goes into the designs of these notes, partly in the name of security.

Lovely to see the story that went into creating the fairly recently redesigned Scottish banknotes featuring Nan Shepherd. She was someone who has inspired a great many writers with her tales of the Cairngorms.
A few years ago, I used Nan's book, and Robert MacFarlane's description of walking in her footsteps in 'The Old Ways' as the basis for a workshop at the Scottish Association of Geography Teacher's conference.

Access the resources here.

You can see the story of the notes here:


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