Royal Mint unveils new 'Diversity Built Britain' 50p coin

The Royal Mint has unveiled a new 50p coin to mark the contribution minority communities have made to Britain.

Around 2.5 million “Diversity Built Britain” coins will enter circulation on Monday.

The “Diversity Built Britain” coin was designed by Dominique Evans, who also designed coins to mark VE Day, the Sapphire Coronation and Jane Austen. It was inspired by Evans’ own “personal experience growing up as a mixed-race woman” in the UK.

The coin’s design features a geodome, which represents a “community of connection and strength,” with each section “working together to build something greater.”

“When designing this coin, I began by thinking about the people who inspire me and what diversity has meant in my life. I believe that no matter where you are born, we all belong under the same sky and this was the starting point of the design,” Evans said.

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It was commissioned earlier this year by the UK chancellor Rishi Sunak following discussion with the ‘We Too Built Britain’ campaign, which works for fair representation of minority communities’ contributions across all walks of life.

He said: “I have seen first-hand the contribution made by ethnic minority communities to Britain’s history.

“That is why I backed the ‘We Too Built Britain’ campaign and requested that the Royal Mint introduced this coin to celebrate it.

“This coin, and the rest of the series, will act as a fitting tribute to the very profound impact ethnic minority communities have made on Britain, and I am grateful to the Royal Mint for turning this around at record speed.”

Sunak held a roundtable on Thursday with Evans, Blondel Cluff CBE CEO of the West India Committee, campaigners Zehra Zaidi, professor Patrick Vernon, and deputy master of the Mint Anne Jessopp, to mark the launch of the coin.

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Prime minister Boris Johnson congratulated Evans, saying that her “design is the first in a series of coins,” the Mint will be producing to celebrate those who helped “shape the UK’s national history and culture.”

“I had the great pleasure of welcoming Dominque to a Cabinet meeting, along with Anne Jessopp, the first female deputy master of the Mint and Blondel Cluff CEO of the West India Committee and adviser to the Royal Mint.

“This new coin echoes the government’s commitment to building a fairer society for all,” Johnson said.

Alongside the release of the coins, the Royal Mint and the West India Committee will also issue education packs to primary schools in England and Wales, so children have the opportunity to learn about these achievements.

The Government will consult with stakeholders including “We Too Built Britain” and other groups representing minority communities on the themes of future coins in this series.

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