Help us celebrate the UK’s wildlife

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 and that you can do so safely. 

While the use of cash for transactions has declined over the past 20 years, it remains the preferred payment method for around one in seven people and is used by many more. The value of cash in circulation has also continued to increase, reaching £91.5 billion at the end of February 2026.

It is important that the public can continue to use cash with confidence. To ensure our banknotes remain secure, we periodically issue a new series which incorporates the latest security features to help prevent counterfeits. When we issue a new series, we also usually update the imagery on banknotes to help the public easily distinguish them.

When redesigning banknotes, we also want to make sure they are accessible. The new series will continue to incorporate features to help blind and partially sighted people identify their value.

The sizes of the banknotes and the overall colour scheme will not change. We will continue to include a portrait of the monarch. 

We have been issuing notes since soon after the Bank was founded in 1694. Since then, we have updated them periodically to incorporate the newest security and accessibility features. With each redesign, we have changed the visual imagery so that you can easily tell the difference between the old and new banknotes. 

Until the 1920s, all the Bank’s banknotes had a single-sided, calligraphic design. Multi-coloured, graphic designs were introduced in the late 1920s. Since 1970, we have showcased historical figures who have helped shape national thought, innovation, leadership and values on our banknotes. This includes our current series, which features portraits of Winston Churchill (£5), Jane Austen (£10), JMW Turner (£20) and Alan Turing (£50). While there are many other inspirational historical figures from a range of backgrounds who could feature on our banknotes, there are many other ways to celebrate the UK.

In 2025, we asked the public which theme they would like us to use on the next series of our banknotes. Nature received the highest proportion of nominations, as well as the most support in the focus groups we commissioned. Much of the feedback referred to images of animals that are native to the UK. This reflects how important wildlife is to the public. Animals are vital to our landscapes, ecosystems and everyday lives. They have long inspired iconic works of art, music and literature, and we are excited to showcase them on our next series of banknotes.

In line with our criteria that the chosen theme should support banknote authentication, we also judged that animal images would be effective for developing banknotes with security features that are easy for the public to recognise. The chosen animal imagery will be combined with security technology to help prevent counterfeiting. Animals are especially well suited for this, giving us many options to use recognisable forms and movements within the security features.

We will also showcase other elements from nature (eg plants and landscapes) as secondary parts of the design, such as the background. 

We worked with a panel of wildlife experts to develop a shortlist of animals for you to choose from.

When deciding which animals to shortlist, the panel and the Bank considered a range of factors. The considerations included that the animals should be able to support banknote authentication, help the public clearly identify each denomination and are able to symbolise the UK. Therefore, the shortlist only includes animals native to the UK that are easily recognisable and can easily be integrated with the security features which will be included on the banknote.

The shortlist includes a variety of animals from a range of environments across the UK. This is important to help ensure that all four banknotes are distinct from and also able to complement each other as a series.

Only the animals on the shortlist published today will feature as the main images on the new series. We are not seeking any alternative nominations.

An internal advisory group, the Banknote Imagery Advisory Group, assessed the findings of the 2025 public consultation and focus groups. The Group then advised the Governor on the choice of theme and will also advise him on the specific wildlife to depict the chosen theme.

In deciding what theme to use, we considered the following criteria, which was published as part of the 2025 consultation:

• 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. 

For more information on the Banknote imagery advisory group, please see the group’s Terms of Reference and the minutes from their meetings in August and October 2025, when they assessed the consultation responses.

• Banknote imagery advisory group terms of reference 
• Banknote imagery advisory group August 2025 minutes 
• Banknote imagery advisory group October 2025 minutes 

Following the Governor’s decision, a panel of wildlife experts from across the UK has been asked to help create a list of wildlife for the public to choose from in a second consultation.

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.