Good Morning Britain host Susanna Reid said she thought it was a "joke" when she first heard that a Welsh national park was changing its name. It was announced on Monday that the Brecon Beacons National Park is to change its name so that it is officially known only by its Welsh name.
Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog is the Welsh name for the park. Bannau means 'peaks' and Brycheiniog refers to the old kingdom of Wales' fifth century ruler, Brychan. The park's managers said the present name - referencing wood-burning, carbon-emitting beacons - no longer fitted the park's eco ethos, hence the rebrand. Read more about why here.
During a debate about the name change on the breakfast show co-presenter Ed Balls said: "I think Bannau Brycheiniog is going to catch on."
Susanna said: "Honestly, I thought it was a joke this morning. I just think 'it is the Brecon Beacons' and nobody thinks about the Brecon Beacons, the name of it, as a threat to the environment. It is just a name. I think it is fair they want to change the symbol."
Bosses in charge of the park said they have spent the last year speaking to staff, volunteers, residents and visitors about the brand, and said: "People gave a number of reasons for wanting a new image for the Park".
But local Conservative Fay Jones, the MP for Brecon and Radnorshire questioned the consultation. She said on Twitter: "My constituents love to call the Brecon Beacons their home. So do I. Rwy’n falch iawn o’r iaith Gymraeg ond I’m amazed this appears to have been decided without the consultation of the people who live and work within the national park."
Questions have been asked by others too. Cate Hart asked: "Did you consult with landowners or locals on this? Beacon is a word for hope, shining a light on a celebration. The money wasted on this video which uses outdated marketing method of doom and gloom to begin could have been better spent in the park."
Another said: "Someone's got way too much time on their hands to be bothered with such frivolities How much money will be wasted changing the road signs, the logos and signs on the NP vehicles , and anything else that needs to be done with the name change?"
But others think it is a good idea, Emma Robertshaw said: "Fantastic to hear that restoring nature will be at the heart of the new vision for the park - at last!"
Another simply said: "Llongyfarchion - Well done."
The park's chief executive Catherine Mealing-Jones told BBC Radio Wales: "We are not just putting out a new brand, we are also publishing our national park strategy for the next 25 years and the whole thing together is about a sense of renewal, reaching back to the past and tackling the challenges of the future.
"National parks are about interaction people people and culture and how that binds together and this name change if very much part of that. The name has always been there, we are just choosing to major on it."
Read next:
