The T-shirts are made of very soft and ethically traded organic cotton and feature graphics designed by a local resident.  They come in both men’s sizes (S/M, L/XL, XXL) and women’s  sizes (S/M, L/XL).

To get your hands on one call in at the shop (unit 6, Granville Arcade, Brixton Village) or pre-order by email (brixtonpound@gmail.com), and we’ll make sure we have your size ready at the shop for collection.

Yours for £15, or B£13.

The "democratree"

On Saturday Power 2010* hosted ‘Blow-up Politics in Brixton’, an informal event where Brixtonians had the opportunity to have a chat with parliamentary candidates from the three constituencies of Streatham, Vauxhall and Dulwich and West Norwood.

Candidates sat on bright pink inflatable sofas while constituents queued to have their say or add their thoughts to a “democratree”. The street outside KFC became a real political melting pot for the afternoon with candidates from both ends of the political spectrum as well as the three main parties.

Despite the candidates looking a little uncomfortable at times (it’s hard to strike a confident pose on inflatable furniture) there was a real buzz around the event itself, which drew a large crowd of spectators throughout the afternoon.

Never one to miss an opportunity to talk politics, the Brixton Pound posed a few questions to the candidates about the local economy and independent businesses.

Lib Dem candidate for Streatham Chris Nicholson had some encouraging things to say. He stressed the importance of attracting new business to Brixton and highlighted the late-night and Sunday openings for the market as something that could draw in custom from further afield. Nicholson mentioned his own personal frustration at never being able to find time to eat in foodie hotspot Franco Manca.

Chris Nicholson talks to a constituent

Green candidate Rebecca Findlay was adamant that business rates need to be readdressed to give new independent businesses a fighting chance, especially in areas where they are being crowded out by commercial chain stores. On the high street, independent businesses can currently be charged up to four times the rate that chains pay. Findlay was supportive of the Brixton Pound project as an economic initiative, especially its accessibility for people outside the mainstream banking system.

Unfortunately Socialist candidate Daniel Lambert didn’t approve of the Brixton Pound. Then again, he didn’t approve of the use of money full stop. Can’t win ‘em all…

*Power 2010 is a political pressure group campaigning for parliamentary reform in the run up to the general election. Go to www.power2010.org.uk for more information.

It will be home to the 3 Future Jobs Fund workers, including our very own new Project Manager, the Remade in Brixton Marketing and Engagement Coordinator role, and TTB’s Shop Manager and Assistant Coordinator post: the roles will be advertised as soon as all details have been finalised.

TTB plans to develop the community shop as a really useful Transition Resource and Work Centre. The Brixton Pound will therefore continue to have a central base in the market, from which to launch its community expeditions…Come and see us at the shop, we would love you to get involved.

Volunteers to staff the shop are also always welcome, so if you can spare a few hours do let us know.

B£ User guides on our community board

We are delighted to inform you that in addition to our Spanish and Italian versions, our user guide is now also available in Portuguese, therefore enabling us to reach further into our diverse community. The user guide is currently available on our website, but it is soon to be circulated also in key public places, including Olive Morris House and Brixton Library.

Thanks to Ana Mattos and Mark Coster for their invaluable contribution.

Good afternoon fellow B£-ers, 

Just a very quick reminder that the much talked about [and somewhat delayed] Grand Opening of Windrush Square is happening this weekend. The weekend promises to be a lively one packed with live acts, dance and of course in true Brixton style… plenty of live music.

There’ll be lots of opportunities to get involved in during the day with art workshops… and later a lantern-lit procession will parade through Brixton leading to a spectacular firework display including a magnificent Phoenix and a human Catherine Wheel!! 

“The Windrush Square scheme has linked Tate Gardens and Windrush Square as a pedestrianised open space which has been designed with safety in mind and includes improved lighting, better sightlines and CCTV coverage. World class design that includes a new water feature, 21 new trees, new lighting and a sculptural granite seat have contributed to creating a brand new civic space.” Lambeth Council

The Brixton Pound team will be out in force from 1pm on Saturday 27th February. You’ll find us in a marquee by the stage; do pop in and introduce yourself. We will have:

• £:B£ exchange point available all day
• all the latest promotions and discounts you can receive when paying in Brixton Pounds
• badge making!!
• B£ video and documentary screening
• pedal powered music – bring along your ipod
• lots of information on how B£ works and friendly, knowledgable people to answer your questions
• Ways that you can get involved in the project
• B£ raffle with some great local prizes

Fingers crossed for fine weather. Hope to see you on Sat!

Our beautiful B£ notes

Give yourself or someone you know a piece of local history: B£ collectors sets make a wonderful gift, and each consist of 1 x B£20 note, 1 x B£10 note, 1 x B£5 note, 1 x B£1 note.   Beautiful images of Vincent Van Gogh, CLR James, James Lovelock and Olive Morris adorn our B£20 note, B£10 note, B£5 note and B£1 note respectively – these personalities have all had important links with Brixton at some point in their lives.

Designed by a local designer, all notes are uncirculated, and all have matching serial numbers. They are also accompanied by a letter of endorsement from the Mayor of Lambeth and a Brixton Pound user guide. 

We can deliver in UK, Europe and Rest of the World, and each set costs £50, plus P&P. You can make your order here, where you can also order other combinations of uncirculated notes Or you could place your order at our Community Shop.

Brixton Customer Centre, Olive Morris House

We are delighted to announce that the council has agreed for Olive Morris House (Benefits centre, 18 Brixton Hill, SW2 1RL) to become a B£s issuing and exchange point, thereby making the currency ever more accessible.  B£ user guides will also be available on site, thus helping the B£ make further inroads within our community. Keep an eye on this site to find out when you will be able to buy your B£s at Olive Morris House.

I’ve pledged to do all my christmas shopping this year in Brixton Pounds, so this Saturday I went off round Brixton to do just that. Not only did I manage it with ease, I also found a whole load of wonderful new shops I didn’t know existed until a few weeks ago. Many thanks to Wild Caper,  Gruff and Tackleton’s Winter Menagerie, Bricolage, Brixton Cornercopia, No. 1 Village Bakeries, Remade in Brixton and Bookmongers for providing such great gifts. I also got my wrapping paper at Pound & Plus taking advantage of their 5% B£ discount.

You can watch a short film of the whole experience right here – I hope it inspires you to reject the west end, chain stores, supermarkets and big name brands and get down to Brixton to spend your money where it matters. You won’t be disappointed.