A NEW £50 note featuring Dorset schoolboy and wartime hero, Alan Turing has been entered into circulation today.

Turing, who was educated in Sherborne, helped accelerate Allied efforts to read German Naval messages enciphered with the Enigma machine. His work is said to have been key to shortening World War Two and saving lives.

An LGBT+ community group in Weymouth said they were excited to see the World War Two codebreaker on the new £50 note.

Turing was prosecuted for homosexual acts in 1952. In 2009, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown made an official public apology on behalf of the British government for "the appalling way he was treated".

The Queen also granted Turing a posthumous pardon in 2013.

One member of Weymouth Gay Group said: "It's brilliant that for the first time an LGBT person is on a Bank of England note.

"We are looking forward to getting our hands on the new £50 note.

"I don't think we will wish to spend it!"