Thank you for all the interest there has been in our ambitious new management plan and in our new corporate identity. This statement addresses the questions we have been most frequently asked.
Introduction: The National Park Management Plan and the new brand are interlinked
On 17 April 2023 the National Park published Y Bannau – The Future (Management Plan for Bannau Brycheiniog National Park) (https://future.bannau.wales) and launched a new corporate identity to better reflect the content and values of Y Bannau.
No changes to primary legislation have been made and the designation of the Park Authority remains as Awdurdod Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog I Brecon Beacons National Park Authority.
Welsh name
In 1957, the National Park was established under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 and the National Park Authority (its governing body) was established under the National Park Authorities (Wales) Order 1995 with its name in both the English and Welsh language being:
| English Name of National Park Authority | Welsh Name of National Park Authority
|
| Brecon Beacons National Park Authority | Awdurdod Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog |
The National Park Authority name has not changed nor has the name of the Park itself been changed. However, our brand / corporate identity has changed to Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons). This was a business decision for the organisation.
Use of English
The National Park Authority’s name in the English language (the other official language in Wales) will continue to be used in compliance with the National Park Authority’s legal obligations.
Either the Welsh or English name for the National Park Authority can be used– people and organisations can choose what they prefer, but this is an organisational change which better reflects our stewardship of the special qualities of the National Park acknowledging its history, landscape, language, culture and the duties and obligations of the National Park Authority.
New brand / corporate identity
. The National Park Authority did not start out with the intention of such a fundamental change to corporate identity. The review of our corporate identity began as a result of the previous logo being difficult to reproduce in the digital format.
However, through the process of developing the Management Plan, the Park Authority decided to make a more significant change to our own brand and corporate identity for four main reasons alongside the need to have a more digital friendly brand:
- The symbol of a carbon-emitting beacon does not fit with the ethos of the National Park Authority and its statutory purposes
- The Central Beacons Mountain range covers a far smaller proportion of the Park’s geography than the historic kingdom of Brycheiniog.
- The National Park Authority is committed to meeting its legislative obligations in promoting the Welsh language.
- There is no evidence that burning beacons (the previous logo) ever existed on the National Park’s summits.
The launch of the management plan marks a big shift in the way the National Park works. The rebrand is an integral part of that shift.
Consultation
We engaged with a range of individuals during the process of developing our new brand and management plan to help shape our direction.
Management Plan
Consultation on the management plan included working with a stakeholder reference panel and with a citizens assembly to test our thinking and to reflect on other inputs coming through the consultation.
The draft Management Plan was open for public consultation for a period of 17 weeks from 4th November 2021 until 4th March 2022. The consultation was promoted extensively. The National Park Authority published a response to the consultation in June 2022 (Consultation Report). Amongst this response is the material relating to the Welsh language policy.
Brand focus groups
The agency we worked with on our new brand conducted four in-depth focus groups sessions which comprised:
- Internal Comms Team Brand Workshop
- Authority Stakeholders Brand Workshop
- Members & Volunteers Brand Workshop
- Partner Brands Workshop
The results of these sessions supported the decision-making process for the new brand.
Cost
The agency that we worked with on the brand was procured according to the usual rules of public procurement. Michael Sheen kindly gave up his time free of charge to help share our message.
The National Park Authority will replace our signage and physical printed assets only when they are no longer fit for purpose in line with our sustainable values. When we replace, we will do so with the new branding.
The following costs are directly associated with the change to the National Parks Corporate identity.
| Supplier | Service | Cost £ |
| CREO | Brand development, including consultation, support with brand strategy and final design concept | £8,880.00 |
| Columbia | Short run of polo shirts and jackets with the new brand | £1,496.78 |
| Direct Costs | £10,376.78 |
The National Park Authority’s Management Plan and change to corporate identity were launched simultaneously and it has not been possible to separate the costs which are as follows:
| Supplier | Service | Cost £ | ||
| CREO | Social media support to launch the national Park’s Management Plan and brand, including development and design of digital assets | £5,760.00 | ||
| CREO | Design and print for gallery exhibition to engage residents and visitors with the management plan | £1,555.00 | ||
| RewiredLife | Videography, including director, sound recorder, drone operator, editor and stock footage | £4,792.81 | ||
| Rogers, Coleridge and White | Procured local writer and Professor in Creativity, Owen Sheers, to collaborate on writing a script for the film ‘Cynefin’. | £1,500.00 | ||
| Michael Sheen | Performance for the film Cynefin | NO FEE | ||
| Seymour PR | PR support for launch of the management plan and brand | £5,600.00 |
| Indivisible Costs | £19,207.81 | |
| Total Costs | Direct Costs | £10,376.78 |
| Indivisible costs | £19,207.81 | |
| £29,584.59 |
The costs of the rebrand to our corporate identity were well within budget. The budgeted costs were £30,000 for the change to the corporate identity and an additional £30,000 for the management plan.