Former Chesterfield schoolboy Harry Maguire won't be face of new £50 note

An online campaign to make former Chesterfield schoolboy Harry Maguire the face of the new £50 note has been unsuccessful.
How Jonny Sharples wanted the new 50 note to look.How Jonny Sharples wanted the new 50 note to look.
How Jonny Sharples wanted the new 50 note to look.

More than 50,000 people signed a petition on change.org calling for a picture of the football star on an inflatable unicorn to appear on the note.

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Jonny Sharples, who started the petition, joked he was 'disappointed' that World War Two code-breaker Alan Turing had instead been chosen to feature on the new polymer £50 note, which will go into circulation in 2021.

How Jonny Sharples wanted the new 50 note to look.How Jonny Sharples wanted the new 50 note to look.
How Jonny Sharples wanted the new 50 note to look.

Jonny told reporters: "Obviously it's a huge disappointment, for myself and no doubt for both Harry and the inflatable unicorn as well, to have missed out on a place on the £50 note.

"Over 50,000 people signed the initial petition back in October so I believed Harry and the unicorn were in with a good chance despite the frankly draconian selection criteria such as 'must have contributed to the field of science', 'must be deceased' and 'can't be an inflatable unicorn'."

The chief cashier of the Bank of England, Sarah John, said: "He (Maguire) was nominated - but he was quite easy to dismiss, I'm afraid, for not being a scientist - at least not last time I looked - and also still being alive."

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Jonny's petition came after images of Maguire and other England footballers on inflatable unicorns hit the headlines during England's 2018 World Cup campaign.

Maguire, who attended St Mary's school in Newbold, noticed Jonny's campaign and sent him a signed picture - complete with the unicorn.