As a former chief executive of the Brecon Beacons national park authority (1990-2000), I am following with interest its decision to adopt Bannau Brycheiniog as the sole name for the park (Brecon Beacons national park renamed Bannau Brycheiniog in Welsh language move, 17 April). The move makes sense in a country that has strongly maintained its first language, and a national park with a large population of first-language Welsh speakers.
However, it strikes me that the long-established English name for the Brecon Beacons could well be harnessed to promote the park as a “beacon” for conservation and climate change mitigation, which is a major responsibility of the park authority. I note that the word beacon in the comprehensive Oxford Dictionary is first described as “a conspicuous hill commanding a good view of the surrounding country, on which beacons were (or might be) lighted”, but that in a sizeable etymology, many of the references are to the metaphorical use of the word as a guiding light to a better, more appropriate future. So perhaps the park can still claim to be a beacon for a better future.
Martin Fitton
Kington, Herefordshire
