|
WALES TO CHANGE PLACE NAMES IN SUPPORT OF MAMMA MIA!
|
A pressure group is gaining ground in its bid to change the names of towns and villages in Wales as a special tribute to the musical MAMMA MIA!
The group is campaigning to replace the word Aber with ABBA in more than 60 of the country’s cities, towns and villages that begin with the Celtic prefix. Called ANA, which stands for ‘ABBA Not Aber’, the group hopes that the change could take place before the MAMMA MIA! musical opens at Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff later this year.
ANA members have already been out on the streets campaigning. In the village of Abertridwr near Caerphilly, the group has changed the road sign to Abbatridwr. In Rhondda Cynon Taf it has replaced Aberdare with Abbadare and Abercynon with Abbacynon. In North Wales, visitors to its famous coastal resorts can visit the newly-named Abbagele near Rhyl.
ANA supporters attending one of Wales’s most respected universities will now go to lectures at Abbaystwyth not Aberystwyth. The popular market town of Abbagavenny is also set to change its historic name. Welsh-language ANA supporters in Swansea are keen for the city be known by its Welsh name, Abbatawe.
Mary Jones, a member of ANA who lives in Abbatridwr said: ‘Wales is full of places that begin with Aber and is renowned across the world for being a land of song . It is entirely fitting that we replace the prefix Aber with ABBA to show our appreciation of the wonderful music that is the basis of the MAMMA MIA! musical.’
A spokesperson for Wales Millennium Centre said: ‘Tickets for MAMMA MIA! have sold quicker than any other show that we’ve had here so far. MAMMA MIA! mania has certainly hit Wales.’ |
web site: |
e-mail: |
Thursday, April 1, 2010 |
|
|
|
|
Older news
stories have been carefully archived.
2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999
