The new Alan Turing £50note is set to enter circulation on the codebreaker’s birthday, the Bank of England has revealed.
The banknote – which features a photo of Turing taken in 1951, along with his signature and several odes to his achievements – will appear from June 23.
Turing’s birth date in binary code is also included on the design, as well as mathematical formulae from a paper he wrote in 1936.
A quote he gave to the press in 1949 also appears: “This is only a foretaste of what is to come, and only the shadow of what is going to be.”
Old £50 notes will still be accepted for some time.
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In honour of Turing – whose lauded codebreaking work at Bletchley Park during WWII helped to turn the tide in favour of the Allies – Britain’s intelligence agency GCHQ has launched what it describes as its “toughest puzzle yet.”
The ‘Turing Challenge’ is a set of 12 puzzles based on the unique design elements of the £50 banknote, such as the technical drawings for the British Bombe – the machine designed by Turing to break Enigma-enciphered messages during WWII.
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Director GCHQ Jeremy Fleming said: “Alan Turing’s appearance on the £50 note is a landmark moment in our history.
“Not only is it a celebration of his scientific genius which helped to shorten the war and influence the technology we still use today, it also confirms his status as one of the most iconic LGBT+ figures in the world.
“Turing was embraced for his brilliance and persecuted for being gay. His legacy is a reminder of the value of embracing all aspects of diversity, but also the work we still need to do to become truly inclusive.”
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Turing is also regarded as a father of modern technology – having helped to develop the Manchester computers.
In 1952, he was found guilty of indecency over his relationship with another man he met on Oxford Road and was required to undergo treatment to reduce his libido.
Turing took his own life in 1954.
A memorial to Turing was unveiled in Sackville Park in 2001.
The school of mathematics building at the University of Manchester also bears his name.
The “Alan Turing law” is now an informal term for 2017 legislation that retroactively pardoned men cautioned or convicted for homosexual acts.
Featured image: Bank of England
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Greater Manchester town named as one of country’s worst at fixing potholes
Emily Sergeant
A town in Greater Manchester has been named one of the worst in the country at managing roads and fixing potholes.
For the first time ever, drivers across England can now see how well their local highway authority is tackling potholes on their roads thanks to a new traffic light rating system published by the Government this weekend.
The new ratings grade local highway authorities as red, amber, or green.
The ratings – which have presented on a new interactive map – are based on current road condition and how effectively local authorities are spending the Government’s record £7.3 billion funding to fix potholes and investing in long-term measures to maintain roads.
The Government funding is meant to allow local authorities to repair potholes ‘effectively’ and move away from short-term repairs that work out to be more expensive – with these fixes meaning more money in drivers’ pockets, as the average repair bill from hitting potholes is said to be around £320.
We’ve launched a Red, Amber, Green rating system, so you can see how well your local highway authority (LHA) is fixing your local roads.
🟢 Green = best practice, long-term preventative plans 🟠 Amber = on the way, but room to improve 🔴 Red = support in place to raise… pic.twitter.com/gRwkEx5kdm
The condition of local roads, how much local authorities are spending on road repairs, and whether they are following best practice in maintaining highways are all key areas taken into account when deciding on an area’s rating.
Those that scored ‘green’, like Manchester, were able to demonstrate they are following best practice, while also maintaining good road conditions and investing significantly into improving local roads, and those that scored ‘amber’ – which the majority of Greater Manchester came under showed that there was room for improvement in individual areas.
However, one Greater Manchester town did not fare well at all, and ended up with an ‘red’ rating… and that town was Bolton.
The colour-coded map showing each local authority’s pothole rating / Credit: OS / Crown Copyright (via gov.uk)
Those local authorities that are rated ‘red’, like Bolton, are not yet meeting the expected standards in one or several areas measured, according to the Government, such as the current state of the roads, their plans for preventing potholes, or investment into maintaining their local roads more widely.
“For too long, drivers have paid the price because our roads were left to deteriorate,” commented Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander.
“We’ve put our money where our mouth is, increasing the funding for local highway authorities with £7.3 billion to fix roads and given them the long-term certainty they have been asking for.
“Now it’s over to them to spend the money wisely, and for the first time, we are making sure the public can see how well councils are doing in delivering the improvements they want to see in their local area.”
Featured Image – Picasa (via Unsplash)
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Plans to build ‘modern’ underground train station at Manchester Piccadilly officially proposed
Emily Sergeant
Plans have officially been proposed to build a ‘modern’ underground train station at Manchester Piccadilly.
The Government has announced a ‘major growth plan’ for the north, and as part of that, has firmed up its commitment to delivering Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR).
NPR is said to be ‘at the heart’ of plans to deliver faster commutes, better jobs, more homes, increased investment, and ultimately, stronger connections between Manchester and several other major northern cities, even as far as North Wales.
£1.1 billion has been committed over this Spending Review period to support delivery of NPR, the Treasury has confirmed.
One of the most crucial proposals from the commitment to the NPR is an entirely new line between Liverpool and Manchester – via Warrington and Manchester Airport – will be delivered as part of the second phase in the 2030s, and work is set to begin ‘immediately’ to develop the project plans and business case in more detail.
Plans have officially been proposed to build a ‘modern’ underground train station at Manchester Piccadilly / Credit: TfGM
As part of this, Greater Manchester and the Government will be working together to explore an underground solution at Manchester Piccadilly.
It’s hoped that a new underground station at Manchester’s main train train travel hub would be a ‘catalyst’ and ‘enabler’ for major regeneration and economic growth in the region and across the North as a whole.
The underground option is said to be ‘preferred’ by local leaders.
This option would see trains run through the station, providing more reliable and quicker connections to and from West Yorkshire and beyond.
It’s also hoped that it would ‘future-proof’ the station to accommodate growing passenger numbers for decades to come, as well as ensure that the region remains the ‘growth capital’ of the UK.
Big news for the North.
Work is set to begin immediately on detailed plans for the new Liverpool–Manchester Northern Powerhouse Rail line.
A major catalyst for growth and jobs across the North. 🚆
“Finally, we have a Government with an ambitious vision for the North, firm commitment to Northern Powerhouse Rail, and an openness to an underground station in Manchester city centre,” commented Mayor Andy Burnham as the proposals were announced this week.
“A modernised Manchester Piccadilly could become the Kings Cross of the North, acting as a catalyst for major growth in our city region and beyond.
“Over the past decade, we’ve become the UK’s fastest growing city region, but underinvestment in rail infrastructure has long acted as a brake on further growth.
“Today marks a significant step forward for Greater Manchester. We’ll now work at pace to prove the case for an underground station and work up detailed designs for the route between Liverpool and Manchester.”
The Manc -
25th March 2021 
