Hedgehog wins competition to replace historic numbers on British cash

Historical figures including the UK’s wartime prime minister Winston Churchill will be replaced on the country’s banknotes with images of the puffin, barn owl, bumblebee and European hedgehog, the Bank of England said.

The decision to introduce the animals drew criticism at the start of the year, particularly from right-wing politicians. Reformist British leader Nigel Farage called it “the definition of awakening”.

This is despite the fact that nature emerged as the most popular topic in a public consultation held by the bank last year on the renewal of its money. Among the 44,000 responses to this survey, historical figures ranked third.

The BOE went ahead with the plan and this week unveiled the four creatures chosen after a second consultation which took into account the views of wildlife experts and around half a million members of the public.

“We have chosen four distinctive and inspiring animals that not only showcase the great diversity of wildlife we have in the UK, but will also strengthen the security of our banknotes,” said Victoria Cleland, chief cashier, who announced her departure in the summer.

The production of the new notes will also attempt to make cash more counterfeit-resistant. Which animal will adorn which denomination has yet to be decided, while the process of introducing the new notes will take “several years”, the bank said.

Churchill has been on the £5 for the past decade, while other notes feature author Jane Austen, painter JMW Turner and Second World War codebreaker Alan Turing. On the reverse side of all notes is shown the sovereign of King Charles III.

This article was generated from an automated news agency source without text modification.