British people are doing something great with their first plastic £5 notes

Do some good with your new plastic fiver.
British people are doing something great with their first plastic £5 notes
Bank of England governor Mark Carney poses with a new polymer five pound note. Credit: Getty Images

A social media campaign is calling on people to donate their first £5 notes -- which entered circulation last Tuesday -- to charity.

The new polymer fivers, featuring Sir Winston Churchill, are made from a thin, flexible plastic material that is resistant to dirt and moisture, making them much more durable than traditional paper notes.

England joins Scotland, which issued 2 million polymer fivers last year, and Australia which has been, issuing liquid resistant banknotes for decades


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The campaign was launched by John Thompson, a fundraiser and recruiter, who announced on Twitter that he was going to donate his first new five pound note to charity. He also started a poll on Twitter and created the hashtag #firstfiver, which went viral after being championed by the Institute of Fundraising.

Charities have used the hashtags to appeal for people to donate their fiver while users have shared pictures of their notes:

Ceri Edwards, director of policy at the Institute of Fundraising, said: "Sometimes a simple idea shared at the right time can make a world of difference. This shows how inspired people can be from giving a donation to a cause they support."

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