Nan Shepherd – Give us Five

Are you curious about the woman on the Royal Bank of Scotland’s new £5 note?

Nan Shepherd
Image: Nan Shepherd, Credit: Estate of Nan Shepherd

The latest design features Scottish writer Nan Shepherd, known for her evocative and bracing portrayal of Scottish landscapes and communities. Born in 1893, she spent most of her life in Aberdeen, and throughout her life published novels, poetry and a non-fiction account of her loving exploration of the Cairngorm Mountains.

This week we’re celebrating Book Week Scotland with a variety of events taking place throughout the week, including a special event to celebrate Nan Shepherd. On Saturday 26th November we’re celebrating her life, her love of the Scottish landscape, and exploring the relevance of her work today. Often described as being ahead of her time, her writing raises questions about wilderness, community and our own place in the world.

Nan is the first woman to feature on an RBS main issue bank note, illustrating the continued relevance and importance of Glasgow Women’s Library and our work celebrating women’s lives, histories and achievements.

To celebrate this landmark note, we’re asking you to donate a Nan Shepherd £5 note to Glasgow Women’s Library to help us continue our life-changing work. As a charity we rely on the generosity of our donors, sponsors and volunteers to enable the Library to continue growing. Pop into the library and hand in your donation or donate online and send us a photo of you with your Nan note. If you think you have more than one fiver to spare, why not think about becoming a Friend of GWL and send us a fiver each month?

Friends offer vital support to the organisation and we show our appreciation by offering a selection of free events, discounts and opportunities. Find out more about becoming a Friend of GWL and view our timeline to see some of our history and how we started out as a totally unfunded resource with no paid staff to a unique, well-respected, multi award-winning national organisation.

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