Eryri national park unveils new Welsh logo

Emily Price

Eryri National Park has unveiled its new Welsh language logo as the authority votes to permanently ditch the English version.

It comes following a report presented to the national park’s council on Wednesday (November 13) which concluded reclaiming the Welsh name had been a success for the area.

Eryri National Park Authority voted to use Yr Wyddfa for Wales’ highest mountain, rather than Snowdon, and Eryri, rather than Snowdonia in November 2022 following a petition from local residents.

The authority yesterday approved a proposal to exclusively use "Eryri" in its official logo and will prioritise the Welsh names Eryri and Yr Wyddfa in all communications going forward.

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Values

Eryri National Park Chief Executive Jonathan Cawley says the shift reflects the park's "dedication to the cultural heritage of the regions and the values of the Welsh language."

He said: "This updated branding will strengthen the park’s identity and reinforce the Authority’s role in celebrating the unique heritage of the area."

A phased approach will see the new logo introduced across physical assets - signage, vehicles, interpretation panels, uniforms - and digital platforms.

The authority says it will work closely with partners and stakeholders to ensure a smooth transition to the updated logo, aiming to complete the rebranding over time to "manage costs effectively".

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'Progressive'

Nearly 4 million people visit the oldest and biggest of Wales’ three national parks every year to explore its towering peaks and beautiful valleys.

Councillors heard on Wednesday that the rebrand aligned with broader efforts to protect indigenous and native place names worldwide, positioning Eryri as part of a "progressive movement".

But the new report also noted a several challenges and areas which required improvement.

Councillors heard how "anti-Welsh sentiment" had been stirred up on social media creating "tension" which detracted from the authority’s messaging.

The report suggested that this contributed to a "lack of understanding" with visitors mistakenly believing the names were new. This in turn contributed to "resistance and confusion".

The rebrand also caused issues with the park’s visibility as many people continue to search for "Snowdon" and "Snowdonia" online.

The park authority’s previous logo which uses the English name was partially blamed for this confusion because it had created "inconsistency".

It was suggested that pronunciation guides should be developed to help non-Welsh speakers who "often struggle to pronounce the names".

Resources

Eryri was recently named as one of Lonely Planet’s top European destinations to visit in the winter alongside the Bavarian Alps and Lapland.

Aberconwy MS Janet Finch Saunders pointed out that in the article, the travel guide publisher had referred to the national park as "Snowdonia" instead of using the Welsh name.

She said: "The official name may have changed, but Snowdonia is still widely used across the world.

"In a time when every authority in Wales is struggling financially, allocating resources to shift from being bilingual to Welsh would not have been my priority.

"Similarly, spending resources on rebranding in this current climate is not the best use of limited taxpayers’ resources. Is it going to help Wales reach the target of 1 million speakers by 2050? I think not.

"What would help is building more social and affordable homes within the National Park, and having Small Modular Reactors at Trawsfynydd, so that local young people have high paid jobs to take up in the area, and homes they can afford to buy and raise a family in."