A Hedgehog in Your Pocket

The Bank of England has chosen British wildlife for its next generation of banknotes. It's a charming idea, although there's something rather fitting about celebrating hedgehogs on something else we're seeing less often.

14 October 2026

Sir,
The Bank of England's decision to put British wildlife on our banknotes seems a pleasant enough idea. Hedgehogs, puffins, bumblebees and barn owls are unlikely to cause much trouble, and I rather like it.

There is, however, something slightly unfortunate about celebrating British wildlife by putting it on something else we see rather less often than we used to: cash. Nearly half a million people responded to the consultation over the new designs, suggesting we remain remarkably interested in what our banknotes look like even if many of us spend less time seeing them.

Perhaps one day we'll find ourselves explaining both to our grandchildren. There used to be hedgehogs wandering around British gardens, and five-pound notes tucked into people's wallets. You occasionally found either under the sofa, although I imagine the hedgehog was rather more surprising.

Cash still matters to plenty of people, of course, and the hedgehog isn't going anywhere just yet. Perhaps putting one on the other might make us pay a little more attention to both, though I suspect the hedgehog would prefer we left it in the garden.

R. D. Kerr