New £5 note

A BRAND new £5 note made from polymer and depicting Sir Winston Churchill entered into limited circulation within the UK on September 13.

The initial print run is 440 million and they are being distributed widely throughout the UK with the intention that they will replace the paper note speedily as the old note will cease to be legal tender with effect from May 5 2017.

This new £5 note is made from a thin, flexible plastic material which is resistant to dirt and moisture, and lasts around 2.5 times longer than paper. 

It has also allowed the Bank of England to introduce a new generation of security features, making it even harder to counterfeit.

The new polymer notes will still have tiered sizing, bold numerals and a similar colour palette to the current notes to help blind and visually impaired people tell the difference between them. 

A polymer £10 featuring Jane Austin will also be introduced in 2017 followed in 2020 by a £ 20 depicting the artist Turner. 

The note was unveiled in June of this year at Blenheim Palace birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill and celebrates one of Britain’s greatest statesmen.