Could endangered red squirrel still make it onto Britain’s new banknotes?
Britain’s endangered red squirrel could still find its way onto the country’s new wildlife-themed banknotes after the Bank of England confirmed elements of the designs remain undecided.
The development follows a public campaign which saw 487 red squirrel artworks and photographs submitted to Save Our Reds CIC after the species was omitted from the Bank’s shortlist of animals being considered as the principal images for the new £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes.
A selection of the submissions has been brought together in the campaign’s online People’s Red Squirrel Banknote Collection.
Six striking entries, known as “Little Red’s Ambassadors”, were also chosen to take the collection’s message directly to the Bank.
Now the Bank of England has confirmed the submission has been forwarded to its Banknote Imagery Team.
In its response to Save Our Reds, the Bank described the entries as “remarkable”, adding that they “showcase how important the red squirrel is to the UK”.
Crucially for campaigners, it also confirmed that part of the new designs remains undecided.
The Bank said: “We are still in the process of designing the background and have not made a decision on which other elements from nature will feature on the banknotes.”
Save Our Reds is now asking for Britain’s native red squirrel to be considered for a place within that supporting wildlife and nature imagery.
Campaign founder Marie Carter-Robb said: “When the red squirrel was left off the shortlist, we could simply have complained. Instead, we asked people to show the Bank what this little animal means to them, and 487 answers came back in paint, pencil, photography, sculpture and more.
“We chose six very different entries to carry the spirit of that extraordinary response to the Bank, and now Little Red’s Ambassadors have reached its Banknote Imagery Team while elements of the designs are still being developed.
“We know the red squirrel cannot now become one of the four principal animals. Our ask is much simpler: find a little space for it elsewhere in the designs.
“Red squirrels have already disappeared from huge areas of Britain where generations once grew up seeing them. We must not allow them to disappear from our national consciousness as well.
“More than 110,000 people now stand behind Save Our Reds. A red squirrel on these banknotes might be a small image, but it would carry a much bigger message about an endangered native species we are in danger of losing.”
The six Little Red’s Ambassadors were selected to reflect the variety, creativity and spirit of the 487 entries rather than as competition winners.
They are “Willow” by Kirsty Armstrong; a red squirrel drawing by Lyla Sinclair, aged 12; “Nut Cracker” by Steve Urwin; a red squirrel illustration by Tanya Whitfield; “Hello Mr Squirrel” by Penny Hutchinson; and “Mr June” by Vivien Brouwer.
Together, they represent a collection spanning painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, illustration and contributions from younger artists, all united by affection for Britain’s native red squirrel and concern for its future.
The Bank has explained that the red squirrel was excluded from consideration for the principal images because it already features on the Royal Bank of Scotland’s £20 note.
Save Our Reds believes its appearance within the supporting imagery of a Bank of England note could serve a different purpose by highlighting a native species whose surviving populations are now increasingly restricted to strongholds across Britain.
The full People’s Red Squirrel Banknote Collection, including its online gallery and Little Red’s six Ambassadors, can be viewed at:
