WHAT’S in a name change, eh? Well, quite a lot for many people when the title refers to something close to their hearts.
The ink is hardly dry on the row over the Bannau Brycheiniog/Brecon Beacons name change . . . and now we have another branding row right on our doorstep.
On a personal level, the way we brand Gower has always been something of a problem.
On the old sub-editors’ desk at the Evening Post’s Adelaide Street HQ, ashtrays and (potentially lethal) paper spikes would be tossed around when ‘The Gower Question’ became overheated.
It was a simple question: Should Gower appear in print as ‘Gower’ or ‘The Gower’.
I always opted for plain Gower, but more influential figures on the subs desk were able to impose a temporary change to the Post’s Style Book to demand that the area should appear in print as ‘The Gower’.
Today, the Gower row isn’t an internal newspaper argument; it is a social media debate over branding which now sees the peninsular called ‘Gower – National Landscape’.
And the branding has an associated logo which has just kicked over another hornet’s nest among lovers of good design and promotional images.
To backtrack, for just a moment, many of you will know that one of Gower’s many claims to fame was that it was the first area in the United Kingdom to be designated an ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ (AONB), way back in 1956.
The AONB title has been part of Gower’s branding . . . until very recent tweaks have seen national changes to the way national parks and other AONBs are titled.
Today, some 46 different areas now fall under the banner of the National Landscapes Association.
Gower has now been rebranded as ‘Gower National Landscape / Tirwedd Cenedlaethol Gŵyr’.
The name change comes with an associated logo, which shows Worm’s Head, Rhossili, in outline . . . in colours best described as muddy versions of orange and yellow.
The changes have not been well received in some quarters.
For example, Geoff Haden (a keen supporter of all things Gower-related and the owner of the birthplace of Dylan Thomas in Swansea) has taken to social media to canvass the views of others.
‘Is this really the best name and logo that creative minds . . . can come up with to replace AONB?’ Geoff has asked.
Geoff has suggested that fans of Gower come up with their own branding and logo designs for the area and forward them to him and the Gower Society.
The general view on social media is that people are not impressed by the new branding.
Gill Lloyd (no relation) said, ‘It’s pathetic’. Caroline Berry described it as ‘cheap and tacky’. Donna Phillips said, ‘The colours are really drab’. Andrew T Price said, ‘It has a 1980s nicotine-stained, retro quality . . . if that’s the look they were going for!’
Meanwhile, Suzy Davies highlighted an issue with the wording and a missing Welsh mutation – ‘It should be Genedlaethol,’ she pointed out with reference to ‘Cenedlaethol’.
I have no plans to act as the advocate for the defence in this case, but it might be worth pointing out that the new branding does follow something of a theme across all the UK National Landscape areas.
Visit the website at https://national-landscapes.org.uk and you will see what I mean.
Meanwhile, I will sit back and watch the current branding debate unfold.
Just, please, please, please, don’t think of asking for my opinion on whether it should be ‘Gower’ or ‘The Gower’!
I still have nightmares about those arguments on the subs desk at Adelaide Street.
——————————–
IT’S a big weekend for Swansea historian Bernard Lewis, with the launch of his latest book, ‘Swansea and the Second World War’.
It’s the story of how the people of Swansea faced the challenges of war on the Home Front.
Bernard lives in Neath and is a retired local government officer. He holds a Diploma in Local History and is the author of half a dozen books on aspects of the history of Swansea and Neath.
Swansea suffered heavily in the Second World War. The docks and factories were important targets for Hitler’s Luftwaffe bombers. The town centre was devastated over three consecutive nights of bombing during February, 1941, and no town or city in Wales suffered more deaths than Swansea as a result of enemy air raids.
Bernard’s wide-ranging book describes how people coped with the deadly bombing attacks and how the town was turned into a veritable fortress in preparation for a possible Nazi invasion.
Conscription, conscientious objection, wartime crime, rationing, salvage campaigns, the evacuation of the town’s children and the arrival of American forces are all outlined in a book which will be on sale at special events at The Waterfront Museum in Swansea this weekend.
Bernard will have a table selling his books between 10and 4pm on what promises to be a busy and entertaining two days at The Waterfront.
Saturday sees the local history heritage fair, an event organised in partnership with the Historical Association (Swansea Branch) and Swansea Museum, Royal Institution of South Wales (RISW).
Talks on Saturday include – 10.30, Bob Cuthill on Swansea’s Civic Centre; 11.30, Nigel Robins on Ben Evans, the lost buildings of the Blitz and plants that grew in their place; 1.30, Bev Rogers on The Swansea Devil; and 2.30, Debra John on Amy Dillwyn (1845 – 1935).
Sunday sees the Local History Book Fair at The Waterfront. Talks will include – 10.30, Ceri Thomas on Swansea’s role in shaping art in Wales; 12.30, Robin Campbell on Horse Racing on the Crymlyn Burrows; and 1.30, Graham Davies on the Welsh Volunteers in the Spanish Civil War.
At 2.30, Bernard Lewis will give a talk titled ‘Swansea and World War II’.
For those keen on local history, The Waterfront Museum will be the place to be this weekend.
Twitter: @rlloydpr
Email: robertlloydpr@rlloydpr.co.uk
Leave a Reply