Scotland will be first part of Great Britain to use plastic bank notes following a decision by Clydesdale Bank plc to put 2 million polymer 5 pound notes into circulation in 2015.
The limited edition note will commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Forth Bridge over the Firth of Forth near Edinburgh. In 1999, Northern Bank of Northern Ireland issued a commemorative polymer 5 pound note to mark the turn of the century.
The Clydesdale fiver will feature a portrait of Sir William Arrol, the owner of the company that constructed the bridge, which has been nominated for the Unesco World Heritage List.
Debbie Crosbie, executive director at Glasgow-based Clydesdale Bank, said: “Clydesdale Bank is very proud to commemorate the Forth Bridge on our new … note. The structure is renowned across the world as an incredible feat of engineering so it was a fitting choice for a ground-breaking new banknote.”
The Bank of England is switching to all polymer notes in 2016, supplied by Innovia Films Ltd., which is investing more than $30 million to produce the currency.
