Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Human content, AI powered search.
Latest Stories

The Royal Mint releases 50 Years of UK Pride 50p to Post Office branches

The Royal Mint releases 50 Years of UK Pride 50p to Post Office branches
Pride 50p coin roll out. Left to right: Postmaster Daniel Cooper, The Royal Mint's Managing Director, Currency, Andrew Mills and postmaster Nathan Jones
Kiran Paul
By Kiran PaulOct 25, 2022
Kiran Paul
See Full Bio

The Royal Mint today released a 50p coin celebrating the 50thanniversary of Pride UK into circulation via post offices across the UK.

The Pride 50p will become the last design to enter general circulation featuring the portrait of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse (heads side) of the coin. The first coins bearing the portrait of His Majesty King Charles III will enter circulation later this year.

In total, five million coins celebrating the 50th anniversary of Pride UK will enter circulation, and were made by The Royal Mint prior to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. To ensure the transition to the coinage of King Charles III is conducted with minimal waste and environmental impact, The Royal Mint has continued to issue coins struck with the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.

Designed by LGBTQ+ artist and activist Dominique Holmes, the 50 Years of Pride UK 50p design was unveiled to mark the milestone anniversary earlier this year and features a rainbow design with Pride in London’s values of Protest, Visibility, Unity, and Equality on the ‘tails’ side of the coin.

The first LGBTQ+ celebration coin will be accessible to people across the UK via 2,000 branches. Among the first to get their hands on the coins are postmasters Daniel Cooper and Nathan Jones from New Longton Post Office, near Preston. The couple are delighted to help issue the coins from the branch, after hundreds in the community rallied against criticism for flying the rainbow flag at the post office during LGBTQ+ Pride Month.

post office pride coin 1

Daniel Cooper said: “50 Years of Pride UK and the combined support of the LGBTQ+ community and allies shows how far we have come as a nation, but there is always more we can do to break down barriers. The Royal Mint’s 50p coin is a tangible display of Pride’s values and it is a privilege to be among the first postmasters to release this coin into circulation ensuring such an important piece of British history lives on in the pockets, purses, and cash tills of our communities. It is a special pleasure, for Nathan and I, to be issuing these in our own town where we know first-hand what the celebration of Pride UK means for the community.”

The Royal Mint’s Managing Director, Currency, Andrew Mills said: “Coins tell the story of our nation, and we are thrilled to be working with the Post Office to ensure five million special 50ps celebrating the 50th anniversary of UK Pride reach the hands of the people across the UK in the coming weeks. Made for the 2022 anniversary, the coins feature the effigy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth and are expected to be in high demand.

“This is the first time the LGBTQ+ community has been celebrated on UK coin and reflects The Royal Mint’s commitment to celebrating a diverse and inclusive Britain. We hope the Pride values minted on the coins honour the communities they represent, as well as proving popular with LGBTQ+ allies and coin collectors up and down the country for generations.”

As part of The Royal Mint’s commitment to reflecting a diverse and modern Britain across its products – A ‘Diversity Built Britain’ 50p coin entered circulation in 2020 and The Royal Mint recently celebrated a Diwali-inspired series of gold bars at the Shree Swaminarayan Mandir in Oldham.

lgbtqpost officethe royal mint

Related News

Rapper duo to launch world food store in south London
Industry News

Rapper duo to launch world food store in south London

More for you

AG Barr welcomes Dino Labbate as new Chief Commercial Officer

AG Barr welcomes Dino Labbate as new Chief Commercial Officer

Dino Labbate has been announced as the new Chief Commercial Officer at A.G. BARR plc, the branded multi-beverage business with a portfolio of market-leading UK brands, including IRN-BRU, Rubicon, FUNKIN and Boost.

Dino takes up the role from today, 20 January 2025, having spent seven years at Britvic plc, most recently as GB Commercial Director for Hospitality. With previous experience at Kraft Heinz, Burton’s Biscuits and Northern Foods, Dino brings a wealth of FMCG insight and experience across all channels of the food and drink industry.

Keep ReadingShow less
Surge recorded in whole food sales

iStock image

Surge recorded in whole food sales

Brits are increasingly leaning towards cooking from scratch and are ditching ultra processed food, thus embracing a much simpler approach to their diet, a recent report has stated.
According to a recent report from John Lewis Partnership released on Friday (17), supermarket Waitrose has reported that it’s back to basics for many in 2025 due to a growing awareness around ultra processed foods, with many turning away from low-fat, highly processed products in favour of less-processed, whole food ingredients.
Whole milk and full-fat Greek yogurt sales are up 11 per cent and 21 per cent compared to skimmed milk and Greek style yoghurt a year ago.
Block butter sales are up by +20 per cent as compared to dairy spreads while brown rice is seeing +7 per cent more sales as compared to white rice.
The report adds that sourdough bread sales are up by +20 per cent as compared to white bread while full fat Greek yoghurt recorded +21 per cent more sales than Greek style yoghurt.
Over the past 30 days, searches on Waitrose website whole food searches soared with ‘full fat milk’ and ‘full fat yoghurt’ skyrocketing 417 per cent and 233 per cent.
The shfit reflects the wider growing awareness of effects of ultra-processed foods, thanks in no small part to Dr Chris van Tulleken’s bestselling book Ultra-Processed People and its continued momentum in 2024 and into 2025.
His eye-opening, rigorously researched account of ultra-processed foods and their effect on our health turned many people towards cooking from scratch, with unprocessed or minimally processed ingredients.

Maddy Wilson, Director of Waitrose Own Brand comments, “There’s been a lot of bad press around so-called ‘healthy’ products which aren’t nutritious and don’t taste great, however the growing awareness of ultra processed food in our diets has seen many customers seeking the basics and embracing a much simpler approach to their diet.”

Waitrose Food & Drink report released last year highlighted that 54 per cent of those surveyed proactively avoid processed foods.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hinckley c-store ordered to close down

Image from Leicestershire County Council

Hinckley c-store ordered to close down

A convenience store in Hinckley, which sold illegal cigarettes to undercover Trading Standards officers on eight occasions and had more than 1,800 packets of illegal tobacco seized during four enforcement visits, has been closed down for three months.

As informed by Leicestershire County Council, Easy Shop in Regent Street has been ordered to remain closed until April 15 by Leicester Magistrates Court, following a joint operation by Leicestershire County Council’s Trading Standards service and Leicestershire Police. The orders were issues last week.

Keep ReadingShow less
Peterborough shop “closed” to tackle organised crime

Image from Cambridgeshire Constabulary

Peterborough shop “closed” to tackle organised crime

A city centre convenience store in Cambridgeshire has been closed down after police found "illicit" items including Viagra tablets, illegal tobacco and more than £14,000 in cash from the premises.

About 683,400 cigarettes, 37.45kg of hand rolling tobacco, and 35 cigars were seized by the police from International Food Centre in Lincoln Road in Peterborough late last year. The closure order was served on the shop and flat above on Dec 31following an application to Huntingdon Magistrates' Court.

Keep ReadingShow less
Champagne being poured into champagne glasses
Photo: iStock

Champagne shipments hit by gloomy consumer mood in 2024, producers say

French champagne shipments fell by nearly 10 per cent last year as economic and political uncertainties hit consumers' appetite for the sparkling wine in key markets such as France and the US, the producers association said.

Producers had called in July for a cut in the number of grapes harvested this year after sales fell more than 15 per cent in the first half of 2024. Full year shipments were down 9.2 per cent from 2023 at 271.4 million bottles, the Comite Champagne (Champagne Committee) said.

Keep ReadingShow less