The Bank of England said the Atlantic puffin, barn owl, buff-tailed bumblebee and European hedgehog will be the central images on the next banknote series after a public consultation.
The Bank of England said on Thursday that the Atlantic puffin, barn owl, buff-tailed bumblebee and European hedgehog will be the central images on the next series of pound notes. The bank said nearly 500,000 people took part in a consultation and chose from a shortlist of 18 species drawn up with wildlife experts.
The barn owl, buff-tailed bumblebee and European hedgehog were the most popular animals in their categories, the bank said. The puffin was chosen as the most popular marine animal so the series would include the coastline and make denominations easier to tell apart. The BBC reported the bumblebee received 360,399 votes, nearly 90,000 more than the barn owl.
Which animal appears on the 5, 10, 20 or 50 pound note has not been decided. The bank said that choice will be announced closer to launch. Notes will also carry other nature elements, potentially including other shortlisted animals, the BBC reported.
The bank said this will be the first time animals replace people as the central images on Bank of England notes. The puffin and bees already appear on some Royal Mint coins, the BBC said.
The announcement sets the subjects. It does not set an issue date.
People Sentiments Positive
- The Bank of England said the choice followed nearly 500,000 consultation responses.
- The bank said a marine animal would make denominations easier to distinguish.