21 January 2019
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Local businesses in the UK's beautiful Lake District are accepting the Lake District Pound (LD£), a unique currency featuring colourful designs reflecting the culture and landscapes of the area.
Lake District Pounds are worth the same as Sterling pounds. But only unique, local, independent businesses accept the LD£, so 'you know you're supporting our community while you spend'.
The statement on the Lake District Pound website states:
'It costs nothing to swap your cash for LD£, and you can always change back any LD£ you don’t manage to spend. But if you keep a few LD£ notes as souvenirs (with exciting new designs to collect every year) your money goes straight towards local projects that care for our communities and preserve our precious landscapes.'
New designs for 2019 include:
LD£1 - featuring pioneering Victorian educator Charlotte Mason. Charlotte Mason established her House of Education in Ambleside in 1892 and it is still part of the University of Cumbria campus on site. The LD£1 also features a view across the Fairfield Horseshoe near Ambleside.
LD£5 - celebrates ‘Creativity and Freedom’, featuring Rebecca Gill’s artistic portrait of children’s author Beatrix Potter and a view across Buttermere in the Western Lake District.
LD£10 - celebrates ‘Resilience and Determination’, embodied in portrait by mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington and featuring the view across Ullswater to Helvellyn, one of the highest mountains in England.
LD£20 - represents ‘Love for the Landscape’ and features Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley, who lived in the Lake District and was one of the founders of the National Trust as well as a key pioneer in conservation. It also features a view across Coniston Water to the famous Old Man of Coniston.
The scheme also features an LD£ Passport which allows tourists to explore local shops, cafes and restaurants and collect stamps when they spend LD£.
