Wildlife to feature on our next series of banknotes

Katy Bell is Senior Conservation Officer at Ulster Wildlife, managing species conservation projects across Northern Ireland. Katy holds a BSc Hons in Zoology from the University of Edinburgh and a Masters in Ecology and Conservation Biology from Queen's University Belfast. Katy has worked in various research, ecology and conservation roles for universities and environmental NGOs.

Gordon Buchanan is a renowned wildlife filmmaker and Sunday Times best-selling author who has worked on numerous BBC documentaries, including the popular The Family and Me series. With a career dedicated to capturing intimate wildlife stories, he was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to conservation and wildlife filmmaking.

Miranda Krestovnikoff is a television and radio presenter and author specialising in natural history and environmental programming, including on BBC’s The One Show and Coast. She is vice president of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and a patron of numerous other wildlife organisations in the UK.

Steve Ormerod is a professor in the School of Biosciences at Cardiff University, specialising in freshwater ecology. Steve holds a PhD in river ecology from Cardiff and is also deputy chairman of Natural Resources Wales and a member of the UK Joint Nature Conservation Committee.  

Nadeem Perera is a television presenter, author and cultural strategist working at the intersection of nature and identity. He is the founder of Hero Hyena, a culture led creative studio exploring wildlife through contemporary storytelling. Nadeem has appeared on a number of wildlife programmes including BBC Two’s Springwatch and CBBC’s One Zoo Three, and co founded Flock Together, a birdwatching collective encouraging greater participation in nature among underrepresented communities.

Dawn Scott is Executive Dean of the School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences at Nottingham Trent University. Dawn is a Professor of Mammal Ecology and Conservation. She holds a PhD from the University of Durham and has served as trustee for a Wildlife Trust as well as a council member for The Mammal Society, a charity committed to the research and preservation of British mammals.

As the UK’s central bank, one of our most important jobs is to make sure that you have a choice in how you can safely pay for things, which includes providing high-quality banknotes that you can use with confidence. 

While the use of cash for transactions has declined over the past decade, it is still the preferred payment method for around one in five people and used by many more.

Counterfeit levels are low and we want to make sure the public can continue to use cash with confidence. This includes designing banknotes that have the latest anti-counterfeiting technology and that are accessible, ie with large font and tactile features to help blind and partially sighted people identify the value.

As part of the July 2025 consultation, we identified six potential themes for the public to consider. These are:

• notable historical figures: This theme, which is used on our current series of banknotes – could be depicted by portraits of specific historical figures who have made an important contribution to UK society and culture. We will not represent living people on our banknotes, with the exception of the monarch.
• nature: This theme could be depicted by images of native plants, animals, or natural landscapes such as rivers, lakes, mountains or coastal scenes from around the UK. 
• architecture and landmarks: This theme could be depicted by images of iconic buildings and other places, such as castles, bridges or heritage sites across the UK. 
• arts, culture and sport: This theme could be depicted by images of the arts, music, literature, customs, food, film, television or sport which define the UK. 
• noteworthy milestones: This theme could be depicted by images of important events and movements which have shaped the UK.  
• innovation: This theme could be depicted by images of important advancements, technologies, discoveries or ideas developed in the UK. 

 

In July 2025, the Bank held a consultation asking the public which theme they would like us to use for the next series of banknote designs. The consultation on themes received over 44,000 responses. This included online survey responses, post, emails and designs submitted by schools and the public. 

Nature was the most popular theme with 60% of respondents selecting it as one of their preferred themes. Architecture and Landmarks was the second most popular at 56%. This was followed by Notable Historical Figures at 38%, Arts, Culture and Sport at 30%, Innovation at 23% and Noteworthy Milestones at 19%. 

After the consultation, the Bank commissioned focus groups with members of the public across the UK, where nature was viewed most positively as a potential theme for banknotes.

In deciding what theme to use, we considered the following criteria:

• symbolises the UK: The theme should have a direct link to, and therefore represent the UK, eg celebrating individuals from a range of fields and backgrounds who are important to UK history or specific landscapes and landmarks from different parts of the UK. 
• resonates with the public: The theme, and its importance, should be easily recognisable and meaningful to the UK public. 
• is not divisive: The theme should not involve imagery that would reasonably be offensive to, or exclude, any groups. 
• is enduring: The theme should not be too modern or relate to a recent trend, or it may become quickly irrelevant or out of date. Banknotes remain in use for many years, and their designs should remain relevant for many decades, if not indefinitely. 
• supports banknote authentication: The theme, and the images which would be used to depict that theme, should be able to work in harmony with our objective to create banknotes which are accessible, safe and secure for the public to use easily and without worry.  
• is consistent with our legal obligations: In considering what theme to feature, we will have due regard to the public sector equality duty and other relevant laws, including considering the impact on individuals who share the protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act 2010.