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Tory MS lambasts Eryri name change despite ‘positive’ report

13 Nov 2024 3 minute read
Eryri in north Wales

Emily Price

A Conservative MS has criticised Wales’ largest national park after a decision to reclaim its Welsh name was hailed a success.

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.

A new report presented to park authority councillors on Wednesday (November 13) concluded that the use of the Welsh name had been “positive”.

Councillors approved a proposal this afternoon to exclusively use “Eryri” in its official logo.

Resources

Aberconwy MS Janet Finch Saunders says that although the official name had been altered, the national park would still be known as “Snowdonia”.

She said: “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.”

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

Today’s report stated that Eryri’s rebrand reinforced “cultural values” and increased the “visibility of the Welsh identity” by encouraging visitors to learn basic Welsh language skills.

Councillors heard that the change aligned with broader efforts to protect indigenous and native place names worldwide, positioning Eryri as part of a “progressive movement”.

The report concluded that the national park should continue to only use only “Eryri and Yr Wyddfa” in “all instances of communications that are not deemed to be statutory or legal purposes”.

Challenges

But the 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 current logo which uses the English name was partially blamed for this confusion because it had created “inconsistency”.

The report recommended that the design should be updated to align with the Welsh-only naming approach – a suggestion agreed by councillors today.

It also suggested pronunciation guides to help non-Welsh speakers who “often struggle to pronounce the names”.

Top destination

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

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.”

Bannau Brycheiniog National Park also chose to stop using its English name “Brecon Beacons” in official signage and literature last year.

The authority said the decision would instil “a stronger sense of Welsh identity” into the area whilst coinciding with a “new era” for the protected landscape.


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S Duggan
S Duggan
16 days ago

‘Welsh’ Tories – as usual sticking up for all things Welsh..,….

Blinedig
Blinedig
16 days ago
Reply to  S Duggan

No such thing as a Welsh Tory anyway.

Mark
Mark
16 days ago
Reply to  Blinedig

Well that is demonstrably untrue.

TheOtherJones
TheOtherJones
16 days ago

Will British nationalist right wingers ever get tired of yelling at an entire language?

Sbeve
Sbeve
16 days ago

Janet, just leave Wales. You hate the idea of Welsh culture and we all know that. Just leave us alone and go to your beloved England.

John Ellis
John Ellis
16 days ago
Reply to  Sbeve

Quite. I was born and bred in the north-west of England, as, if her accent is any guide, Ms Finch-Saunders sounds as if she was too. I only ended up living in Wales initially by chance because, way back in 1964, a Welsh university made me a firm offer which I accepted, and I then ended up staying on here for years to live and work. The difference between Janet and me is that when I settled here I recognized that I was living in a different place, and that it’s a place that isn’t England. To judge from this… Read more »

Sbeve
Sbeve
16 days ago
Reply to  John Ellis

You are a fantastic example for people of England to follow! You’re one of us now cymrawd

phil ashe- i am not racist but..
phil ashe- i am not racist but..
16 days ago

And there , Just as we thought it reasonable to use our own language in our Nation Janet ‘Grinch’ saunders of why are you not grateful internet rise appears to decry the Welsh Language, if the Grinch had her way , Conwy Council would spending millions on importing sand to North Shore so that Dick and Ethel can enjoy making sandcastles whilst local services get cut,

Remember ‘Dinosaur World ‘ at eirias park , it seems that a real saundersaurus is currently representing Aberconwy at Cardiff,

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
16 days ago

I wish the likes of Tory MS Janet Finch would do the decent thing and shut up. Eryri is the original native name not Snowdonia. Eryri was referenced by scribes over 1,100 + years ago, even before the English & England existed as a people & country. It’s the usual whining from the little England party. And they are not a Welsh party by the way. So like Snowdonia let’s stop using that name. Say it as we see it. They are English overseers, political provocateurs, placed in Wales to destroy Britain’s native language Cymraeg, our history and culture by… Read more »

Sylwebydd
Sylwebydd
16 days ago

Stupid stand by ignorant person. Locals and visitors agree, only Mrs Bonkers and her mates get upset. Go away Sioned (sorry, Janet).

Rhosddu
Rhosddu
16 days ago

She forgot to say “They’re forcing it down our throats”, or one of the other tropes usually wheeled out by those of a BritNat persuasion. Her remarks betray a profound bias towards seeing Wales not as a country but as nothing more than a holiday destination or a giant leisure facility..

Valleys Lad
Valleys Lad
16 days ago

If you ask the right people and use the right questions, then you can get any answer you want.

Charles Coombes
Charles Coombes
16 days ago

Fail to understand link between nuclear power and local jobs. The build and maintenance will go to specialist staff brought in from outside the area.
Wind or solar cheaper and less damaging to the environment

Mark
Mark
16 days ago

But, just like the previous nuclear power station, there will be hundreds of highly paid local jobs through the operating life of the plant. I also think nuclear power might be a little more reliable than solar power in this area! Not everybody wants to live in the dark.

CapM
CapM
16 days ago

You’ve had 66 years to come to terms with the existence of Cymraeg.
Time to get over it Janet.

Fi yn unig
Fi yn unig
16 days ago

There are still old road name signs in the west end of Colwyn Bay which are spelt wrongly. I refer to Conway Road. JFS represents Aberconwy – no A. She should get on with telling the council to get these signs changed as their misspelling is bringing the town and her whole patch into disrepute. They must be spelt correctly.

Mark
Mark
16 days ago

What in this article justifies the use of the word ‘lambast’ in the title? It seems all Mrs Saunders has done is question whether the money could have been better spent. I notice the journalist didn’t go to the trouble of trying to establish how much public money has been spent on this exercise.

Sbeve
Sbeve
16 days ago
Reply to  Mark

You go ahead and tell countries who decolonised themselves that they wasted their money. I’d love to drive you to the border and kick you over it you quisling.

Barry
Barry
15 days ago

Germanics hate being reminded of their immigrant heritage.

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