Still time to vote for Ada to be face of the new £50 note
THERE is still time to vote to get the ground-breaking local female scientist Ada Lovelace to appear as the face on the new £50 note.
The public have until Friday December 14 to cast their vote over who is going to be illustrated on the plastic redesign and Councillor Stanley Rooney is urging Hinckley residents to back our girl.
“Ada Lovelace has all the credentials and I honestly encourage everyone to vote for her!”, says Mr Rooney.
“Many residents will be aware she lived her first six years of life at her home in Kirkby Hall in Kirkby Mallory, just four miles from Hinckley, she is recognised internationally as the first computer programmer, an Ada Lovelace Day has been instituted and she is the chosen symbol representing women in science, technology, engineering and maths subjects.
“Our Borough should celebrate and recognise with pride, such a distinguished lady who lived in Hinckley and Bosworth.”
Ada was born in 1815 to Lady Byron and British nobleman, poet, politician and leading figure in the romantic movement, Lord Byron.
She was gifted in mathematics and credited as being one of the very first computer programmers as well as collaborating with fellow mathematician Charles Babbage in making one of the earliest calculators.
The Victorian mathematician is among several other famous scientist frontrunners to feature on the new note, including the likes of Professor Stephen Hawking, wartime codebreaker and computing pioneer Alan Turing and Rosalind Franklin, an English chemist and X-ray crystallographer who made contributions to the understanding of the DNA structure.
It is not yet known when the roll-out date will be to replace the current £50 note which features industrial revolution pioneers Matthew Boulton and James Watt, but it is hoped that an announcement will be made next summer.
To make a nomination or to support Councillor Rooney’s call to arms, visit the Bank of England website before December 14 at https://www. bankofengland.co.uk/ banknotes/50-pound-notenominations.