Who is on the front of the new 50 notes and when do the old notes expire?
The new 50 banknotes featuring Alan Turing have entered circulation (Picture: PA)  The Bank Of Englands new 50 note has entered circulation today  bringing it in line with other banknotes currently in use. The new 50 note is made from polymer  which lasts around two-and-a-half times longer than paper notes  and is the first update to the 50 note since the last one was issued in 2011. That note featured leading lights of the Industrial Revolution Matthew Boulton and James Watt  but they have been replaced on the new note. Alan Turing is on the front of the new 50 banknote  which is being released on what would have been his birthday. Turing  who was born in 1912 and who is considered one of the founding fathers of computing  is the first recognised LGBTQ+ person to be featured on a UK banknote. He is best known for his work devising code-breaking machines during World War II, and played a pivotal role in the development of early computers, first at the National Physical Laboratory and later on at Manchester University. Turing was considered to be one of the founding fathers of computing (Picture: Getty Images)  Turing laid the foundations for work on artificial intelligence by posing the question of whether machines could think. His life was marred by tragedy, as Turing, who was homosexual, was convicted of gross indecency for his relationship with a man, and later underwent chemical castration. He died in 1954 in an apparent suicide, just 16 days before his 42nd birthday. Turing was posthumously pardoned by the Queen in 2013. Youve still got time to spend your old 50s (Picture: Getty)  The old, paper 50 notes will remain in circulation until the end of September 2022. After this time shops will no longer accept them  although youll still be able to exchange them for the new note at post offices, or over the counter at the Bank Of England. The old paper 20 notes  which feature economist Adam Smith, will also be withdrawn at the end of September 2022. Although youre unlikely to get the new 50 banknote from a cash machine, banks will be issuing them over the counter to customers from today. The new polymer note will reportedly last two and a half times longer than its paper predecessor  and is also said to be harder to forge. MORE : Hunt to find where 50,000,000,000 of missing banknotes are stashed  Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram  Share your views in the comments below