The highest mountain in Wales is to change its name!
Instead of using Snowdon and Snowdonia, the Snowdonia National Park Authority decided to use the Welsh equivalent Yr Wyddfa and Eryri respectively.
It was said by the Park Authority that after 5,000 individuals signed a petition demanding the change, it was inspired to take “decisive action” and make the name change.
Gwynedd councilman John Pughe Roberts had proposed the vote to stop using the English names in April last year, stating many people were “complaining that people are changing house names, rock names, renaming the mountains”.
Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) is the highest mountain in wales, coming in at 3,560 feet (1,085 metres) tall and is very popular with over 400,000 walkers annually visiting the area.
Welsh place names are among Eryri’s (Snowdonia) “unique features,” according to Naomi Jones, the park’s director of cultural heritage.
Naomi Jones has stated, “By referring to our most renowned landmarks by their Welsh names, we give people from all over the world the opportunity to engage with the Welsh language and its rich culture”.
She also was to add to this and say that many public bodies were already using the Welsh names, “This is very encouraging and gives us confidence that this change in the authority’s approach will be accepted for the benefit of the Welsh language and as a mark of respect to our cultural heritage,”
The park already used Welsh names in publications and digital communications that were published in English; this practise will continue as resources are updated.
The Football Team May Follow Suit
There may be further changes as well. After the World Cup, Wales will think about adopting the term Cymru on an international level. The Football Association of Wales already uses Cymru, the Welsh word for Wales, in its internal and external communications, as well as by its employees at its Vale of Glamorgan headquarters.
The Football Association Wales (FAW) intends to discuss the merits of renaming Wales in international competition with various Welsh football stakeholders, and the PA news agency can confirm that exploratory negotiations have already taken place with UEFA about this change.