New project to create a community currency for Eastbourne is launched

Andrew Durling and Dietmar Schoder would like to launch a new community currency in Eastbourne called "Bourne Coin" (Photo by Jon Rigby)

Bourne Coin has been launched to encourage the local economy and with the aim of wealth staying in the area.

The project’s creators have applied for it to become a legally constituted social enterprise, and in the meantime have set up a simulation online of what the currency would be like.

If the project is successful, peoples’ BourneCoin balance from this simulation will be transferred into real local currency.

Andrew Durling, one of Bourne Coin’s founders, said, “BourneCoin will hopefully become Eastbourne’s local currency, making the town’s monetary system work better for all its residents and businesses.

“We already have a pilot project under way, and we’re delighted that we’ve had such an enthusiastic response already to our proposals.”

The project describes itself as aimiing to build a ‘fairer, more inclusive, more prosperous town’ which is also more ‘sustainable’.

Bourne Coin is the working title, based on the Bourne stream that runs underground through Eastbourne and around which the town grew.

For more information, email [email protected] or search @bournecoin on social media.

And to take part in the BourneCoin simulation, register here.