The Bank of England said the Atlantic puffin, barn owl, buff-tailed bumblebee and European hedgehog will be the central images on the next note series, after 478,531 consultation responses.
The Bank of England said on 8 October that the Atlantic puffin, barn owl, buff-tailed bumblebee and European hedgehog will be the central images on its next series of banknotes. The choice follows a public consultation on wildlife imagery that received 478,531 responses, the most the Bank has recorded for a banknote imagery exercise.
Respondents chose from a shortlist of 18 animals in three groups. The Bank said the barn owl, buff-tailed bumblebee and European hedgehog were the most popular in their categories, with 270,596, 360,399 and 259,665 nominations. The puffin, with 183,137 nominations, was added as the most popular marine animal so the series would be easier to tell apart and would mark the British coastline.
Which animal appears on the £5, £10, £20 or £50 note has not been decided. The Bank said other nature elements, possibly including other shortlisted animals, will complete the designs, and that a portrait of the monarch will remain. Chief cashier Victoria Cleland said the response showed that cash still matters and that the animals would also support note security.
Incoming chief cashier Rhys Phillips, who takes over on 19 October 2026, said the Bank will now design, test and produce the notes with new security features. The Bank said the first denomination is expected over the next few years, not immediately. Nature was chosen as the theme in March 2026 after a 2025 consultation.
Cash remains the preferred payment method for about one in seven people, the Bank said, and notes in circulation reached £91.5 billion at the end of February 2026. The current series, with Churchill, Austen, Turner and Turing, is not being withdrawn by this announcement.
People Sentiments Positive
- Victoria Cleland said nearly half a million responses showed that cash still matters.
- Rhys Phillips said the animals would let the Bank deliver notes that are secure and represent the UK.