Totnes introduced the first local currency in the United Kingdom, the Totnes Pound, in 2007.
The currency was created in Totnes, Devon, as part of a broader effort to strengthen local economic activity. Participating businesses accepted the notes, allowing customers to spend them within the town rather than immediately directing all spending to national chains or distant suppliers.
The Totnes Pound reflected the town’s interest in local resilience, independent commerce, and community-scale economic exchange. It was issued in several designs and denominations and could be exchanged for sterling under the scheme’s rules.
It is often confused with the Bristol Pound, which began later, in 2012, and with the Brixton Pound, launched in London in 2009. These currencies shared a local-spending goal but originated in different places and years.