West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin this week got to preview the new five pound note which will have a special local connection when it comes into circulation in September. The Bank of England Chief Cashier Victoria Cleland– whose signature is on the new note – was brought up in Malvern and went to school in the town. Harriett and Victoria met up at an event in Westminster to promote the new note before it goes into circulation. The new fiver is made from polymer – a thin flexible plastic – which will mean it lasts more than double the time of a standard paper five pound note as well as having extra security features to reduce forgery. Harriett commented: “Local businesses will need to prepare for the arrival of the new note and this was a chance for me to see the note and understand the technology in use to prevent fraud. “I had a long conversation with Victoria Cleland who hails from Malvern and whose signature will be on every new note that is issued by the Bank of England – including this note and the new twenty pound note which will feature the novelist Jane Austin. “It is nice to note that a little bit of the county stays on our currency with Victoria’s signature on every one of the new fivers.” Photo: (l-r) Malvern’s Bank of England Chief Cashier Victoria Cleland and Harriett Baldwin MP with the new fiver.