Lewes Pound
Categories: International, Econ
You thought the British pound sterling was the only British pound? Nope. The Lewes pound is also a UK currency, except that it’s super-local, limited to Lewes, a city in East Sussex. They come in 1s, 5s, 10s, and 21s (yep, the British are weird).
Why use the Lewes pound when you could use the British pound? Local businesses in Lewes give discounts to things bought in this offbeat currency. The reason the Lewes pound exists in the first place is to spur local markets (it was revived from ye olden days in 2008), and because five pence of each Lewes pound goes to a local charity: the Live Lewes Fund.
Local businesses in Lewes want your Sunday morning to consist of lovely Lewes shopping, rather than staying in your bed ordering Prime shipping. Plus, if the pound sterling isn’t doing too hot, there’s a chance the Lewes pounds are just fine.
Why not to use the Lewes pound? Well, not that it matters too much, but the Lewes pound isn’t backed by the government (hey, neither are Bitcoin and many other cryptocurrencies). Or...if you don’t live in Lewes.