Mountaineering legend Sir Chris Bonington is one of the latest heroes to be immortalised on the Lake District’s new currency, the Lake District Pound.

The 84-year-old adventurer, who lives near Caldbeck, appears on the currency alongside three other legends of the Lakes – author Beatrix Potter, National Trust founder Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley and educational pioneer Charlotte Mason.

The four personalities feature across the Lake District Pound’s new LD£1, LD£5, LD£10 and LD£20 designs, featuring the unique work of portrait artist Rebecca Gill.

The Lake District Pound is a community currency designed to help people enjoy Cumbrian culture, support local businesses and look after the area’s landscapes and communities.

Launched last May, the Lake District Pound can be used alongside Sterling, but only spent at independent, local businesses.

Its aim is to drive more footfall to unique and independent retailers, shops, cafes, and attractions across the areaand more in the area.

Ken Royall, founder and director of the Lakes Currency Project, said: “It’s been an amazing year for the project and we’re so happy that tens of thousands of LD£s are now in circulation.

“It’s great to be able to reveal the next set of designs, which will be valid through to 2020, and we can’t wait to carry on pushing the project forward next year, growing the number of businesses and places you can use the Lake District Pound and supporting more of our local businesses.

“People can still use their 2018 LD£, which are valid until the end of January.

“If people want to swap their 2018 LD£ for 2019 LD£ between now and then, then they can do it at any participating businesses or exchange points.”

Since launch around LD£140,000 has gone into circulation with more than 350 businesses accepting the currency.

The Lake District Pound is designed locally, with the help of local artists and designers.

Project creative director Sophie Crewdson said: “With new designs every year, the Lake District Pound is an amazing creative platform not only to celebrate inspiring people and stories associated with the Lake District and Cumbria, but also to showcase the creative talent that exists in our region.

“In 2018, Holly Acland’s illustrations and watercolours gave our first set of currency a really magical appeal. For 2019, in this new set of notes, we wanted to delight people with a new and exciting style, and so chose to work with Rebecca Gill, whose bold and colourful portraits give an amazing vibrancy to the notes and the characters featured.

“We knew we would never be able to sum up everything people love about the Lake District in one set of notes. So each year we’ll interpret our four design themes in new ways, with different characters, stories and featured artists. It’s a wonderful way to celebrate what so many people love about the Lake District and Cumbria.”

“With the designs changing every year, it’s also important to maintain consistency between years. To ensure this, each denomination has its own colour theme that remains constant from year to year. Additionally, the reverse of each LD£ features a landscape view of lake and mountains that ensures a commonality between years.”