Exeter Pounds at The Real Food Store

From the 1st September, The Real Food Store will accept the new Exeter Pound in-store. The Exeter Pound is a local currency created by the people of Exeter, for the people of Exeter and which embraces Exeter’s unique identity. The Exeter Pound is for the benefit of all those who work, shop and play here, and so it seemed only right that those same people create the artwork for the paper notes.

April 2015 saw the launch of the first design competition for the £E1, £E5, £E10 and £E20 notes. Professional designers, photographers, amateur artists and an array of primary school children all met the challenge and by the competition’s close the mixed panel had a tough job of selecting the final few. A shortlist of designs for the £1E note was put to a public vote both at the Guild Hall and through the local paper.

The winners were announced one note at a time in the Express & Echo up to June 2015. Meanwhile, local graphic designer Si Paull of Sound in Theory molded the public’s artwork, embellishing it with security features - including the unique holograms, some of which depict local landmarks into the final designs. These final designs were printed in August 2015 by specialist security printer Orion.

Every three years the Exeter Pound CIC will hold a design competition, inviting people who live, work or study in Exeter to submit their own designs of what they would like to see on the currency.

Find out more about the Exeter Pound at their website.