Clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape!

Written by John Roberts, Friends of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley

It’s official! The three Unitary Authorities which make up our AONB – Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham -have now formally agreed to accept the rebranding proposal agreed by the AONBs’ National Association last November.

The Clwydian Range and Dee Valley will now be known as a National Landscape and its new logo – which is a representation of Moel Famau and is shown here  – will now be used extensively on signage, promotional material and on all correspondence from members of the team. There’s long been a feeling that the AONB acronym is not widely understood and, whilst in a legal context the relevant areas will still be Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the National Landscape branding will resonate far more strongly with the general public.

All the areas so designated will use a common theme in their branding and, whether you’re in the Wye Valley, the Gower, Dedham Vale, the North Pennines or any of the other 30 or so NLs in England and Wales, you’ll quickly come to recognise the common theme.

One downside locally is the timing. With the main consultation process on the National Park for North East Wales scheduled for the autumn, the rebranding exercise may well cause some confusion and this is something that will need to be carefully addressed.